OOTS #815 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[MoonCat]

What did Ian just do???

Great to see Haley back though, I've somehow managed to miss her on a short space of time. At least she's nnot pulling a Durkon. :smalltongue:

But that knowledge withholdal is cruel, and you know it. Totally worth it.

[blueblade]

ELAN!!! Way to slow us down, while still being entirely in character...

Also, the whole Ian conspiracy is looking pretty believable now...

[MesiDoomstalker]

I was just about to go to bed when I see "OOTS #815" next to the OOTS forum. Glad I refreshed the page! :smallbiggrin: Everything is starting to get back together for once! Now all they need is to retrieve V.


What did Ian just do???

Great to see Haley back though, I've somehow managed to miss her on a short space of time. At least she's nnot pulling a Durkon. :smalltongue:

But that knowledge withholdal is cruel, and you know it. Totally worth it.

Batman has this annoying tendency to dissappear just as someone addresses him while turning around to speak to him directly.

[Zejety]

You are a bad person, Giant, and you know it! :smalltongue:

[MoonCat]

I was just about to go to bed when I see "OOTS #815" next to the OOTS forum. Glad I refreshed the page! :smallbiggrin: Everything is starting to get back together for once! Now all they need is to retrieve V.

Batman has this annoying tendency to dissappear just as someone addresses him while turning around to speak to him directly.

Heh, me too. Pity it's a school night, or for once I'd actually stay up and be able to follow the entire thread for once.

I think I just lost geek cred for not knowing that already, thanks for telling me! :smallsmile:


(for a few seconds I thought that Durkon was also on the brontosaurous. Then I figured it out)


You are a bad person, Giant, and you know it! :smalltongue:

That wink is one of pure sadism, no doubt about it.

[danielmayer]

Haha! yet another climatic cliffhanger! Elan aspires to be an epic bard, I bet. :)
Those off-panel-updates speed up many things, while I hope to get some bonus-paper-strips sometime. I miss Malak already.
Great work, Giant, I can't wait for the next strip.
- btw, I have to sit today and tomorrow in awful boring schooling sessions, a fast next update would be *very* greatly appreciated :smallbiggrin:

Loved it, can't wait. And I'm very curious if Tarquin really helps them without making trouble...

[Cruiser1]

Heh, this isn't the first time (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0283.html) that Elan has said something like this to cause important information to be delayed to the next strip. :smallwink:

[legomaster00156]

Well, duh, you can't miss a good dramatic pause!

[MesiDoomstalker]

Heh, me too. Pity it's a school night, or for once I'd actually stay up and be able to follow the entire thread for once.

I think I just lost geek cred for not knowing that already, thanks for telling me! :smallsmile:


(for a few seconds I thought that Durkon was also on the brontosaurous. Then I figured it out)



That wink is one of pure sadism, no doubt about it.

Your welcome! It is fairly late on a school night so your cred is in tack, at least in my view. It took me a second to figure it out what it meant too.

[EpsilonShawn]

So peg-leg guy wants them to meet up with some associates. Has this 'Ivy' been mentioned before? Probably not by name.

[MoonCat]

Heh, this isn't the first time (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0283.html) that Elan has said something like this to cause important information to be delayed to the next strip. :smallwink:

Heh, first thing I thought of too.


Your welcome! It is fairly late on a school night so your cred is in tack, at least in my view. It took me a second to figure it out what it meant too.

Yeah, I randomly got up to post on another thread, so I'm glad I still qualify.

So, who thinks that the next strip will be exposition?

[random_guy]

Ivy is Ian's sister and the peg leg guy's wife.

No comment on Haley saying "gasp" and referring to Roy as "the gladiator I have never met before"? I thought that was amusing considering she criticized Elan for the same thing.

[Gift Jeraff]

Anyone else hoping for more crayons? :smallbiggrin:

There's a possibility that Nale and/or Sabine are right there listening invisibly. Plus a good chance the archfiends are watching on a HDTV, so whatever Tarquin knows might make its way over to the Linear Guild.

[MoonCat]

So peg-leg guy wants them to meet up with some associates. Has this 'Ivy' been mentioned before? Probably not by name.

Aunt Ivy, Geoff's wife. Geoff is peg-leg guy, who is the brother in law of Ian, Haley's dad.

[MesiDoomstalker]

So peg-leg guy wants them to meet up with some associates. Has this 'Ivy' been mentioned before? Probably not by name.

Ivy is Geoff's (peg-leg guy) wife and Ian's sister. She's been mentioned a few times but I don't have the patience to link them all.

EDIT: Swordsag'd hard!

[deuxhero]

Favorite line: "See? That probably saved three panels right there."

Love it.

[tcrudisi]

... :smallfurious:

Okay, okay. Just so everyone knows: I absolutely love OotS and Rich is an amazing writer and comedian.

But dang, after reading this comic, I wanted to call Rich all sorts of mean and inappropriate names that would get me banned. Seriously cruel.

If the next comic doesn't come out within 5 minutes, I'm afraid I might just explode from anticipation.

[Seerow]

Cue Rich taking a 3 week break before the next update. Just to be extra cruel.

[EpsilonShawn]

Got it: http://oots.wikia.com/wiki/Hard_Time
Thanks guys.

I'm going to assume that's the main reference on these relations.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Heh, first thing I thought of too.



Yeah, I randomly got up to post on another thread, so I'm glad I still qualify.

So, who thinks that the next strip will be exposition?

I second the next comic being exposition. I'm perfectly fine with that too. Explaining all thats going on would be awesome.


Ivy is Ian's sister and the peg leg guy's wife.

No comment on Haley saying "gasp" and referring to Roy as "the gladiator I have never met before"? I thought that was amusing considering she criticized Elan for the same thing.

I was originally going to comment on Haley's Natural 1 on her bluff (which she's so good at that she still beats Tarquin's Sense Motive which is saying ALOT) but I got distracted by Batman. :smalltongue:

[Vemynal]

That was awesome! =D

[Mastikator]

Ladies and gentlemen, Elan just pwned every last one of us.

[Landis963]

:haley: "That gladiator I've never met before is right!"

Uh, Haley? Ian did tell you not to do that during a con, right?

[Psyren]

Wait... Could it actually be... the main plot?

We've... we've waited for you. So very long.

[Psychonaut]

Batman has this annoying tendency to dissappear just as someone addresses him while turning around to speak to him directly.

Huh. I guess that's where Garrett from the Thief games gets that habit.

[Hippopotamus]

Elan just plotblocked all of us.

[Faltenin]

No-one seems too worried about V... serves hir right I suppose.

I loved how Roy was honestly surprised at the disappearance but Belks is taking it a level further with "what men?" :smallbiggrin:

[Landis963]

Elan just plotblocked all of us.

For the second time, remember his original lampshade during the Azure City trial?

[Xondoure]

Classic Elan. :smallbiggrin:

[FlawedParadigm]

Roy's expression in the last panel is great. I also feel sorry for the Giant for continually having to do panels like panel six due to the crowd of nitpickers on the forum. Heh.

[Thanatosia]

Er, is Haley's dad going someplace Roy or Haley would know to meet up with him later?

[Wanderer]

*makes a note* Execute the bard.

[Tundar]

Great Batman escape. And now it's time for a: Dun dun duuuun!

[EpsilonShawn]

Elan just plotblocked all of us.

Very apt, that. But if he hadn't, we would have been in for a quickie or a bit of frisky business before, y'know, time's up.

So. Really. He's helping to make the big event special, you know?


For the second time, remember his original lampshade during the Azure City trial?

Ok. Maybe he really is that much of a jerk.

[Silverraptor]

After reading this comic, the "Weekend cliffhanger (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0283.html)" comic immediately came to mind.:smallamused:

[Teucros]

It's good to see that the great bardic traditions are observed :elan:.

[Gift Jeraff]

I just remembered that #301 was moved in the print version to take place after the "weekend cliffhanger." Maybe book 5 will have a bonus strip with the food guys as #815A. :smallcool:

[Gaius]

Oh, Giant, you tease. :smalltongue:

I'm looking forward to all the Draketoothy goodness on the next page.
... Probably. C'mooooon, no scene transition, no scene transition...

[Onyavar]

I was just about to go to bed when I see "OOTS #815" next to the OOTS forum.
Well, speaking for myself, I just got up :-)


No comment on Haley saying "gasp" and referring to Roy as "the gladiator I have never met before"? I thought that was amusing considering she criticized Elan for the same thing.
Especially, since Roy doesn't have a gladiator uniform anymore, which makes it even more unbelievable.

Great comic, Giant! Though, the docking process of the dinos would have been awesome.

[Burner28]

Nice:smallsmile:

[fibonacciseries]

And Roy is the DM's best friend; the PC who's actually trying to keep the party on the rails...

[jidasfire]

So I have to wonder: was Belkar lying to cover up for Ian and Geoff, or did he have another classic moment where he failed a spot check?

Also, it's nice to see that the Order is just about back together (once V returns), and we'll finally learn at least something about Girard. I am betting Tarquin doesn't know everything, though.

[DougTheHead]

I just realized this is the first time Roy's had to deal with the "Elan in stereo" phenomenon. In a couple minutes he's going to be wishing Thog was still there to bash his head through some more pillars.

[Flame of Anor]

So I have to wonder: was Belkar lying to cover up for Ian and Geoff, or did he have another classic moment where he failed a spot check?

The former, clearly. He was covering for them with his "clumsy sidekick physical comedy", and there's no reason he wouldn't be still doing it now.



Also, I'm just worried something will happen to Tarquin before he gets the chance to give us some good exposition. But he's a high-level character, surrounded by five other high-level characters, so it would really be stretching credibility if some attack were to be a significant threat. Or really to happen at all. But I guess the Giant can make anything plausible... :smallwink:

[ThePhantasm]

Dang those dramatic pauses!!! :smallfurious:

:smalltongue: Loved the strip. Eager for the next one.

[snikrept]

Comic #816:
Meanwhile in Azure City....

[ShikomeKidoMi]

Comic #816:
Meanwhile in Azure City....

You mean Goblotopia, right?

And I'm still trying to decide if Tarquin really thinks Roy is a random adventurer or knows he's part of his son's party and just doesn't want to bother letting on. Remember this is the guy who is willing to play the 'general' to someone else's 'king' as long as he's got the real power, so we know Tarquin is fine with letting people think less of him when it's advantageous.

Of course, he also thinks life is a lot like a story, so he may assume Roy's appearance at the same time as his son means he's destined to join Elan's party rather than that he's already in it.

[DougTheHead]

Another thing I noticed:


"And if you think [the amnesty papers] are good for anything but wiping your ass, you don't understand Tarquin at all!"

Does Ian still have the Idiot Ball in a death-grip? On one hand it seems clear that he's wrong about the amnesty papers being worthless- Tarquin is Lawful enough that he would keep his word. But on the other hand, amnesty papers don't prevent Ian from being picked up for felony jaywalking two steps outside the castle gates.


Comic #816:
Meanwhile in Azure City....

Oh God, that's exactly what's going to happen.

[Procyonpi]

Anyone else hoping for more crayons? :smallbiggrin:


Yes. Indeed, while everyone is comparing this to the weekend cliffhanger strip, it actually made me think more of the "it all began at the dawn of time" from strip 272 and page 35 of SoD



I was originally going to comment on Haley's Natural 1 on her bluff (which she's so good at that she still beats Tarquin's Sense Motive which is saying ALOT) but I got distracted by Batman. :smalltongue:

I'm not convinced Tarquin actually completely bought it, it just isn't important to him. To quote Xykon "don't confuse not caring for not knowing."


So I have to wonder: was Belkar lying to cover up for Ian and Geoff, or did he have another classic moment where he failed a spot check?

I'd say it may be partially that (Belkar at least doesn't hate Ian's guts, which is more than you can say about a lot of people, some of whom are in his party), but I think it's more about seeing what he can pull under the nose of what he views as excessively lawful types.

Finally, a bit of "original" thought here: as much as people are railing against the cliffhanger, I think it was basically a necessity of pacing. You don't start your long, multi page exposition in the middle of a strip. Would this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0758.html) sequence have been as awesome if it started in the middle of a strip?

[tcrudisi]

Finally, a bit of "original" thought here: as much as people are railing against the cliffhanger, I think it was basically a necessity of pacing. You don't start your long, multi page exposition in the middle of a strip. Would this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0758.html) sequence have been as awesome if it started in the middle of a strip?

Of course we know it was a necessity (barring a multi-page strip). We are railing against it because it was cruel.

[Anarion]

I'm definitely hoping for more crayons. Considering that everything we've heard so far was filtered through
A) Redcloak, which was itself filtered through the Dark One
B) Shojo, which was filtered through Soon and the paladin order.

It would be nice to get the story as filtered through Tarquin, which would have been filtered through Girard.

Yeah, we're never going to find out what actually happened until the whole comic ends, will we?

[faustin]

Originally Posted by MesiDoomstalker View Post

I was originally going to comment on Haley's Natural 1 on her bluff (which she's so good at that she still beats Tarquin's Sense Motive which is saying ALOT) but I got distracted by Batman.
I'm not convinced Tarquin actually completely bought it, it just isn't important to him. To quote Xykon "don't confuse not caring for not knowing.

Don´t underestimate Tarquin. He knows about the actual numbers of the Order since Elan´s verbal slip (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0780.html) in the Arena Games... or even before.



Another thing I noticed:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian Starshine

"And if you think [the amnesty papers] are good for anything but wiping your ass, you don't understand Tarquin at all!"
Does Ian still have the Idiot Ball in a death-grip? On one hand it seems clear that he's wrong about the amnesty papers being worthless- Tarquin is Lawful enough that he would keep his word. But on the other hand, amnesty papers don't prevent Ian from being picked up for felony jaywalking two steps outside the castle gates.

Actually, Ian could be right this time (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0735.html).

[Yendor]

Tarquin clearly suspects Ian of something, and Ian doesn't want to wait around for Tarquin to find out he's really a dangerous insurgent with multiple jailbreaks and a massive ransom hanging over him. Or that he's connected to Haley, for that matter.

Actually, Ian could be right this time (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0735.html).
Exactly. Tarquin's not Lawful Stupid. He'll go back on his word if it suits him. All it takes is for Ian to be picked up on some trivial matter, and for Tarquin to decide, oops, the amnesty form wasn't filled out correctly, it's invalid. Or anything like that.


Especially, since Roy doesn't have a gladiator uniform anymore, which makes it even more unbelievable.
They saw him in the arena fighting Thog. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0788.html)

[Procyonpi]

I'm definitely hoping for more crayons. Considering that everything we've heard so far was filtered through
A) Redcloak, which was itself filtered through the Dark One
B) Shojo, which was filtered through Soon and the paladin order.

It would be nice to get the story as filtered through Tarquin, which would have been filtered through Girard.

Yeah, we're never going to find out what actually happened until the whole comic ends, will we?

Is there anything particularly contradictory about Shojo and Redcloak's accounts? Sure, they're told from very different perspectives and focus on different parts of the story, but I can't think of anything that makes the two accounts mutually exclusive off the top of my head.

[Naimless]

I honestly gave a gleeful little cackle at Elan's interjection.

The fact that Tarquin called it a "Good catch"? Cherry on the top. :smallbiggrin:

[Sunken Valley]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I hope it's not a long wait.

In other news: Ian is set to have a "nice job breaking it hero" moment

[Procyonpi]

Something I just realized that I don't think anyone has pointed out yet - when she gets turned back to flesh in this strip, Haley finishes her sentance from Strip 789 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html), when she got turned to stone. Talk about attention to detail.

[The Pilgrim]

So, the sidequest is at last complete? we are returning to the Main Plot, at last?

[Ladorak]

Oh god, now there's two of them...

Frustrating but awesome

[Werbaer]

Er, is Haley's dad going someplace Roy or Haley would know to meet up with him later?

arbitrary speculation:
He tries to hide at the same place as Nale

[Werbaer]

So, the sidequest is at last complete? we are returning to the Main Plot, at last?
I don't think the Linear Guild sidequest is over qet.

[Bulldog Psion]

Nice comic. :smallsmile:

Judging by how well things went for the slaves after they escaped, I'm not sure if Ian is quite as scot-free as he thinks. :smalleek: Still, I don't think he had much of a future there, either, so I guess it's better to be on the run with some chance of survival, than in Tarquin's clutches with no chance at all if he decides on a summary execution.

Good to see Elan's still a bard, too. :smallbiggrin:

[hamishspence]

I don't think the Linear Guild sidequest is over qet.

True, but the "find Girard's Gate" quest seems to be heating up again.

Might be interesting to compare this point in the Book to the same point in the last two books- 137 strips in.

In Don't Split The Party, 137 strips in, the V arc was just about to start, and the fight with Bozzok and the Thieves Guild had just ended.

In War & XPs, it was part way through the Battle for Azure City- the dread knight was punching through the defenses.

So- maybe we're approaching another climax.

[Mauve Shirt]

Nice one, Giant. :smallbiggrin:
I hope Ian doesn't do something stupid.

[suszterpatt]

And I bet the next strip will be a cutaway to someplace completely different too, like Xykon or O-Chul. Or Nale, at the very least.

[hamishspence]

Possible. In the last book this was the point where a new chapter began (Round 7: Deus Elf Machina) and a cutaway to V having a flashback ensued.

If the book is split up a similar way, it does seem close to "new chapter point".

[Orzel]

Oooooooooh Dang it Elan.

When I say Papa Drama talking right before the end of the comic, I expected a huge confusing reveal. Not that.

[DaOldeWolf]

Good thing Elan was there or his father would have forgotten an important point in drama (the cliffhanger).

Still, I wonder where is Haley´s father going to? Any guesses?

[hewhosaysfish]

Anybody else have a sneaky suspicion that Ian's idea of a good place to hide from a bloody tyrant might be
the home of a powerful and strongly anti-authoritarian illusionist?

[RecklessFable]

"Close Call" indeed. I hate you, Rich! Now I have to keep hitting refresh until the next update!

[weckar]

Next 10 strips: what ever hijinks is team evil up to?

[faustin]

Anybody else have a sneaky suspicion that Ian's idea of a good place to hide from a bloody tyrant might be

Except Ian didn´t know him or where is hidden, only Tarquin seems to know.

[Darkfyre99]

"Wait! Don't you want a dramatic pause first?" Left me chuckling for a good minute.

Not to mention, "That gladiator I've never met before..."

Good Job ^_^

[Bulldog Psion]

Except Ian didn´t know him or where is hidden, only Tarquin seems to know.

Do we know specifically that Ian doesn't know Girard? :smallconfused: I don't seem to remember that being mentioned one way or the other, but on the other hand, this arc has been going on so long that I probably forgot a detail or two along the way.

[Ron Miel]

:haley: "That gladiator I've never met before is right!"

Uh, Haley? Ian did tell you not to do that during a con, right?

do what during a con ?

[Blaznak]

I was worried the plot was going to significantly move forward. Fortunately Elan saved the day!

[Shatteredtower]

This is the first time I've read a strip I've wanted to see adapted to stage. This was an exceptional display of quality ham all around.

[factotum]

Especially, since Roy doesn't have a gladiator uniform anymore, which makes it even more unbelievable.


She saw him fighting Thog in the arena, and even in his normal armour, he's a fairly distinctive looking person--it would be perfectly reasonable for her to have said "The gladiator is right!".

[Howler Dagger]

GAHHH! How could you, Giant?:smallwink:

[Sky_Schemer]

Absolutely loved the last panel. It had me laughing out loud and the people around me wondering what was so funny. :)

[Scarlet Knight]

Oh god, now there's two of them...

Frustrating but awesome

"Is yours always like this?"
"Sadly, yes."

[AutomatedTeller]

Don't think Sabine or Nale are hanging around invisibly - Nale is running for his life and Sabine went back to base.

I kind of think that Tarquin knows about Roy knowing Elan and Haley, though. He's very smart and he's made Roy a job offer, so I assume he's looked into the background and found out that he's a gladiator because of the fight with the bounty hunters, which was started over asking about a bounty, which was Elan and Haley. Along with the slip in the arena...

I don't think he knows about Haley and Ian yet. His reaction when he finds out? Dunno.

Ian is paranoid... but I think he has reason to be.

I liked the "Belkar failed another spot check" implication, even if it's not really true. Always amusing stuff. And I had to go back to see what sentance "now" finished... which is when I saw that Haley had dropped the bag which had all that stuff in it.

Huh. When and how did Haley grab all of Roy and Belkar's stuff? That's probably been asked and answered, hasn't it?

[Laws of Chaos]

I love how Elan points out how explaining what happens off-panel speeds things along. Then follows that up by bringing things to a screeching halt for a dramatic pose. It's fitting.

[Morty]

Does Ian still have the Idiot Ball in a death-grip? On one hand it seems clear that he's wrong about the amnesty papers being worthless- Tarquin is Lawful enough that he would keep his word. But on the other hand, amnesty papers don't prevent Ian from being picked up for felony jaywalking two steps outside the castle gates.




Actually, Ian could be right this time (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0735.html).

On a side note, while Ian is definetly right about the amnesty papers not being worth a dime to Tarquin if he wanted to keep him locked up, it likely wouldn't be an issue if he'd kept his mouth shut in the first place.

[Bulldog Psion]

On a side note, while Ian is definetly right about the amnesty papers not being worth a dime to Tarquin if he wanted to keep him locked up, it likely wouldn't be an issue if he'd kept his mouth shut in the first place.

That is true. He didn't need to go along with anything -- just sit there, keep his mouth shut, and plot his revenge and/or freedom fighting silently in his mind. So yes, you're right -- all of his problems basically stem from shooting off his mouth in a thoroughly retarded fashion.

Especially considering all his speeches to Haley about trusting nobody, giving away no information, keeping your mouth shut, etc. Maybe spending time in jail drove him insane. :smallconfused:

[CoffeeIncluded]

Yeah, Haley's back! And here we go...

[JSSheridan]

Thanks Giant!

[MesiDoomstalker]

If we get more crayon drawings, I can see Tarquin doing a big, embelished story with beautifully carved sentences, all elegant and awesome and stuff. And Elan trying to butt in every panel to say "Dad, we know this already."
I want to see Tarquin's face after that, it would be priceless.

[turkishproverb]

Ah Elan. Increasing Page counts regularly.

[Vinsfeld]

If the palace was not attached, and was actually far, with the palace. How did Elan got to the palace so fast? I mean, Tarquin and Roy had to go by Brontosaur.

[pendell]

... :smallfurious:

Okay, okay. Just so everyone knows: I absolutely love OotS and Rich is an amazing writer and comedian.

But dang, after reading this comic, I wanted to call Rich all sorts of mean and inappropriate names that would get me banned. Seriously cruel.

If the next comic doesn't come out within 5 minutes, I'm afraid I might just explode from anticipation.

I remind you that Rich is not an especially well man. He was out of space in this panel, so there was no way Tarquin's exposition was getting into this strip in any case. Not enough room for exposition, just enough room for a joke, so well played.

I also wait with breathless anticipation for the next strip. But I'm willing to be patient. I don't especially like being pushed for results when I'm not up to it. It only means I make mistakes.

And if I don't want to be put under that kind of pressure , then I can't do it to others, can I?

Still enjoying the strip and looking forward to the next installment. Especially now that the Plot Train seems to have pulled into the station. Who knows? Maybe we'll see Xykon and Tsukikko again!

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[t209]

Can the Order reach Girard's gate?
Will Xykon be defeated?
TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR ORDER OF THE STICK!

[mistformsquirrl]

I love this comic. So so much. >_<

[KoboldRevenge]

Very good I wonder what he knows.

Also, how the Shmell did Geoff make that landing with that peg leg!?

[mrzomby]

fully expected a troll face custom smiley for this thread.

[Werbaer]

If the palace was not attached, and was actually far, with the palace. How did Elan got to the palace so fast?
You can see the distance here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0775.html).
Elan ran.

[KinnetDynamon]

Can the Order reach Girard's gate?
Will Xykon be defeated?
TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR ORDER OF THE STICK!

Same OOTS time, same OOTS channel.

[Bulldog Psion]

Very good I wonder what he knows.

Also, how the Shmell did Geoff make that landing with that peg leg!?

Maybe he just belly-flopped on the sand. :smallbiggrin:

[dps]

Same OOTS time, same OOTS channel.


Darn! I was gonna say that.

Oh, well. Gotta say I loved Roy's reaction in the last panel.

[rbetieh]

If the palace was not attached, and was actually far, with the palace. How did Elan got to the palace so fast? I mean, Tarquin and Roy had to go by Brontosaur.

Havent you ever seen the flinstones? Brontosaurus busses are slower than flinstone mobiles!

[SamBurke]

Complicated comic!

[Vectner]

So . . . um, what about V? Or has he/she become as easily forgetable as Blackwing to the rest of the Order?

[MesiDoomstalker]

So . . . um, what about V? Or has he/she become as easily forgetable as Blackwing to the rest of the Order?

Time is of the essence as no one but V, Z, Quarr and Sabine know where V is. V has no way of communicating this (as far as we know), Z is unconcious and won't divulge it easily (or maybe he will thinking V is already dead), and they don't even have the option to question Quarr and Sabine.

For as far as the Order knows, V is attempting to rendevouz with them as they speak and can catch V up on the exposition as Elan demonstrated in this comic.

[kojar]

Oh good job, Elan, because of you we have to wait about a week until Taruin can spill everything.

Edit: wait, "fill me in later"? I thought it's "fill me in *never*"....

[Peelee]

Time is of the essence as no one but V, Z, Quarr and Sabine know where V is.


....or both Roy and Belkar (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0809.html) know.

[MesiDoomstalker]

....or both Roy and Belkar (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0809.html) know.

But they have no reason to divulge it in front of Tarquin as they still think he doesn't now they are not connected to Elan and Haley. Weather he does now or not is still to be seen.

[WickedWizard17]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HALEY'S BACK AND THE GROUP IS TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And now we have to wait and find out what Tarquin knows . . .

YAY GIANT!!

And does this remind anyone else of this (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0283.html) comic? Like father, like son.

[hamishspence]

Most of the group. V is still off on the Plane of Ranch Dressing.

[gooddragon1]

Grammatical error in panel 6: should be "Like those Restoration spells Durkon cast on himself and me."

[hamishspence]

It's coming from Elan- it's not really that surprising for him to make the odd grammatical error.

[Sylvius]

Roy's facepalms always make me happy.

[Gift Jeraff]

Grammatical error in panel 6: should be "Like those Restoration spells Durkon cast on himself and me."Humans normally don't talk like that in real life, especially someone as casual as Elan...

[gooddragon1]

It's coming from Elan- it's not really that surprising for him to make the odd grammatical error.

You shall not diminish my victory!

Just kidding, maybe it could I guess.

EDIT: :D :O ^^ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4vf8N6GpdM)

[Doug Lampert]

do what during a con ?

Hang a lampshade on the con by unreasonably emphasising the parts that are lies.

No one would say "That gladiator I've never met before is right!" if they'd actually never met the gladiator before.

The natural wording is "The gladiator is right!" or "That guy is right!". Why in the world would you TELL people he's someone you've never met when no one has said or implied that you know each other? How often do you walk up to someone and say "Hello person I've never met, what's your name?" rather than just saying "What's your name."

Part of lieing well is acting as if you are telling the truth, and that includes not volunteering information that you normally wouldn't mention.

If Haley LEAVES of the part about "I've never met before" then it draws far less attention to her relationship to Roy. Saying "I've never met before" there makes you substatantially less likely to fool most people over the age of 2.

[pendell]

Another thing I noticed:



Does Ian still have the Idiot Ball in a death-grip? On one hand it seems clear that he's wrong about the amnesty papers being worthless- Tarquin is Lawful enough that he would keep his word. But on the other hand, amnesty papers don't prevent Ian from being picked up for felony jaywalking two steps outside the castle gates.



Oh God, that's exactly what's going to happen.

I respectfully disagree. Tarquin will keep the letter of his agreement, but he's not above violating the spirit of it in horrible ways. Ask the dark-skinned woman from the Free City of Doom or wherever it was.

ETA: Case in point (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0756.html).

It's possible Ian has dealt with Tarquin enough to know just what a guarantee of his is worth. Tarquin may promise not to kill you, for example, but that doesn't mean he can't stick you on a torture rack and make you wish he had.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Peelee]

But they have no reason to divulge it in front of Tarquin as they still think he doesn't now they are not connected to Elan and Haley. Weather he does now or not is still to be seen.

Oh, well, yeah. I was just commenting on how more than just V, Z, Quarr and Sabine know. Timing doesn't appear to be of the essence, really, as they are merely trying to keep Tarquin from realizing their association to each other. Roy just needs to let Durkon know V's location to be able to get him back in the party, and while sooner is always better than later, there's no particular rush on it at the moment. Though they don't know exactly WHAT plane V got sent to, so maybe they're just hoping he's alright.

In any case, didn't mean that they were gonna just up and start wondering where he was in the middle of things here. Sorry 'bout that confusion

[AutomatedTeller]

can't V get back? Does Durkon have to do the retrieval?

btw - it seems to me that the ICFF will work to get V back - I'm assuming they want V nearby when the gate is found.

[Belsirk]

Good comic!

Anyway... right now... i just... hate elan...

[Jagos]

Is it safe to say that Haley's father is a milder example of "Chaotic Stupid?"

[faustin]

Good comic!

Anyway... right now... i just... hate elan...

Why? We already know the full exposition would cover an entire strip or more, so there wasn´t any way Tarquin gonna spoil anything in the last 2 panels.

[kojar]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HALEY'S BACK AND THE GROUP IS TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And now we have to wait and find out what Tarquin knows . . .

YAY GIANT!!

Wow, you like being mean to V don`t you?

[Zea mays]

Good stuff.

Now that Tarquin has taken that dramatic pause I can help but anticipate that some ominous foreshadowing (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0751.html) is about to bear fruit.

The Giant sure has the delicate knack of leaning heavily on the fourth wall without breaking the story's tension.

[bronnt]

I love that the alternative interpretation of Belkar's line is that he failed another spot check. It's such a staple that it doesn't even need to be stated explicitly.

I love that Haley is still completing her sentence from 26 strips ago.

I love Elan giving us a long, dramatic pause to end the strip. I love Roy's facepalm in the last panel.

I love this trip.

[Palthera]

Grammatical error in panel 6: should be "Like those Restoration spells Durkon cast on himself and me."

Technically, should be "himself and I", but as was said elsewhere, most people don't get it correct anyway.

[Bulldog Psion]

Is it safe to say that Haley's father is a milder example of "Chaotic Stupid?"

I'm not quite sure where that impression comes from. What, specifically, makes you say so? :smallconfused:

[bronnt]

Technically, should be "himself and I", but as was said elsewhere, most people don't get it correct anyway.

No, the previous poster has it right. Here's the easy test for this rule-what sounds right if we're only talking about one person?

"Like that Restoration potion Durkon used on me," or "Like that Restoration potion Durkon used on I." It's the first one. The object of a prepositional phrase is the objective case.

"Like that Restoration potion Durkon used on him," or "Like that Restoration potion Durkon used on himself." The first one is confusing, the second is right.

[Peelee]

Technically, should be "himself and I", but as was said elsewhere, most people don't get it correct anyway.

.....rage building.


No, the previous poster has it right. Here's the easy test for this rule-what sounds right if we're only talking about one person?

"Like that Restoration potion Durkon used on me," or "Like that Restoration potion Durkon used on I." It's the first one. The object of a prepositional phrase is the objective case.

"Like that Restoration potion Durkon used on him," or "Like that Restoration potion Durkon used on himself." The first one is confusing, the second is right.

Rage subsiding.

Thank you, bronnt. You are my hero

[hamishspence]

Some songs alternate between correct and wrong useage simply for the sake of rhyme- which is understandable.

"Underneath the Mango Tree" from the James Bond movie Dr No, for example.

[gooddragon1]

.....rage building.



Rage subsiding.

Thank you, bronnt. You are my hero

Oddly enough, the grammar nazis college humor video I linked addresses this.

"The trick is to take the other person out of the sentence to see if it makes sense. Me buy milk? I think not. I buy milk..."

The only problem I foresee with the necessary change to grammar I proposed is that he may have to re-size the text bubble. I apologize for this in advance Giant... I am sorry to have burst your bubble.

[bronnt]

Oddly enough, the grammar nazis college humor video I linked addresses this.

"The trick is to take the other person out of the sentence to see if it makes sense. Me buy milk? I think not. I buy milk..."

The only problem I foresee with the necessary change to grammar I proposed is that he may have to re-size the text bubble. I apologize for this in advance Giant... I am sorry to have burst your bubble.

Actually, I'm okay with grammatical errors being in the text itself, since it's Elan speaking. Doesn't bother me. I was only bothered when someone was trying to offer a correction that was incorrect itself, which is where I jumped in.

Real people do not speak with perfect grammar, which is why good dialogue will have some grammatical errors in it. I don't know if it's intentional or not, but it's perfectly believable to me that Elan would speak incorrectly there.

[gooddragon1]

Actually, I'm okay with grammatical errors being in the text itself, since it's Elan speaking. Doesn't bother me. I was only bothered when someone was trying to offer a correction that was incorrect itself, which is where I jumped in.

Real people do not speak with perfect grammar, which is why good dialogue will have some grammatical errors in it. I don't know if it's intentional or not, but it's perfectly believable to me that Elan would speak incorrectly there.

Very true.

Another possible error however is in panel 10: Might need to be "everything that I know about Draketooth." rather than "everything I know about that Draketooth."

Could also be unintentional though.

[EpsilonShawn]

.....rage building.



Rage subsiding.


Was so with you there.

Going back to conversational conventions in language, I personally feel that a more self-centered statement would be most natural. It's what I'm more likely to expect. So whereas I stumbled on what Elan actually said, I don't think I would have if he had said "cast on us" or "cast on me and him" even though neither option improves precision.


Very true.

Another possible error however is in panel 10: Might need to be "everything that I know about Draketooth." rather than "everything I know about that Draketooth."

Could also be unintentional though.

I'm not seeing the error, though I agree that could have been an unintentional transposition.

[Kish]

Another possible error however is in panel 10: Might need to be "everything that I know about Draketooth." rather than "everything I know about that Draketooth."

Could also be unintentional though.
There is no error there.

[Peelee]

Wow. I did not expect to see such brotherhood on that. I don't even think I'm particularly grammar nazi-esque. I just can't stand when people incorrectly use "I" instead of "me." It's as if the person is actively trying to sound correct without bothering to have actually learned it, which for some reason I find far more offensive than just not knowing in the first place. Other than that, I take bronnt's stance; people don't speak perfectly all the time, and for the most part, that's ok.

Though bronnt and gooddragon1, you two warmed my heart. I thought I came up with the "remove all people other than yourself" explanation on my own. Glad to see it's apparently fairly common

[dtilque]

Ian is paranoid... but I think he has reason to be.

Yes, there's some backstory between Ian and Tarquin that we only have hints about. Hopefully we'll find out what it is when Kilkil gets the records on Ian and Geoff.


And I had to go back to see what sentance "now" finished... which is when I saw that Haley had dropped the bag which had all that stuff in it.

Huh. When and how did Haley grab all of Roy and Belkar's stuff? That's probably been asked and answered, hasn't it?

Several times. Roy asked Haley to pick up his and Belkar's stuff when she visited them in prison.

[J's]

arbitrary speculation:
He tries to hide at the same place as Nale

You mean Girrard.

And Roy isn't the only one that is annoyed by the stereoscopic drama, Haley is vexed too.

[J's]

Very true.

Another possible error however is in panel 10: Might need to be "everything that I know about Draketooth." rather than "everything I know about that Draketooth."

Could also be unintentional though.

Generally calling someone 'That' shows dislike of the one being spoken of. I don't consider it an extraneous word.

[Devon_Darkblade]

hoping to see the next plot twist comic soon,

wru 816 :)

[eusticepious]

Giant-

The quality of oots is too high for you not to be getting paid. You deserve better. Please start advertising on the main site.

[Mutant Sheep]

Giant-

The quality of oots is too high for you not to be getting paid. You deserve better. Please start advertising on the main site.

What do you mean by "main site"? He owns this site, why would he advertise on it? :smallconfused: (Also, fans buy books, so he does get paid for the extra content, deeper plot, and awesome prequel-ness found in said books. And the ad revenue goes to him. Why would he give himself his own money?)

[Onyavar]

Just a random thought...


Is one of Tarquins adventuring party maybe son or daughter of Girard? Obviously not Malack, Catgirl and Tarquin himself, but the female caster with ion stones, Miron Screwdancer or that warrior could be...

[MesiDoomstalker]

can't V get back? Does Durkon have to do the retrieval?

btw - it seems to me that the ICFF will work to get V back - I'm assuming they want V nearby when the gate is found.

Plane Shift and its variants are Conjuration spells, and since V banned Conjuration, V can't get home by V's self. Cleric's get Plane Shift and Durkon is the most immidiate, compliant source of it the Order has.

[Procyonpi]

Don't think Sabine or Nale are hanging around invisibly - Nale is running for his life and Sabine went back to base.

I kind of think that Tarquin knows about Roy knowing Elan and Haley, though. He's very smart and he's made Roy a job offer, so I assume he's looked into the background and found out that he's a gladiator because of the fight with the bounty hunters, which was started over asking about a bounty, which was Elan and Haley. Along with the slip in the arena...


The first reason you stated is plausible, but Tarquin offered Roy a job BEFORE the arena fight.


....or both Roy and Belkar (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0809.html) know.

They know he was "banished to another plain." Not "banished to the semi-elemental plain of ranch dressing."



Good stuff.

Now that Tarquin has taken that dramatic pause I can help but anticipate that some ominous foreshadowing (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0751.html) is about to bear fruit.

The Giant sure has the delicate knack of leaning heavily on the fourth wall without breaking the story's tension.

I actually interpreted that as having more to do with his revelation of his fellow adventure's scheme to take over the Western continent without anyone knowing.


Anybody else have a sneaky suspicion that Ian's idea of a good place to hide from a bloody tyrant might be
the home of a powerful and strongly anti-authoritarian illusionist?

That's quite plausible, and would create huge headache's for the order, when they did find him. Ian would feed Girard a story that this was all a conspiracy by Tarquin to get him, and Girard might just believe him.

This comic has also revived my epileptic tree theory that Ian IS Girard. They both (were) redheads and they have a very similar sense of paranoia.

[weeping eagle]

Technically, should be "himself and I", but as was said elsewhere, most people don't get it correct anyway.Pepe: "Oh, Papa Homer, you are so learn-ed."
Homer: "It's 'learned,' Pepe. 'Learned.'"

Not to pile on, but it's just too brilliant.

[Hardcore]

I appreciate that the quality of this strip is always very high.

Not many seems to realise this is rare.

[Holy_Knight]

Hang a lampshade on the con by unreasonably emphasising the parts that are lies.

No one would say "That gladiator I've never met before is right!" if they'd actually never met the gladiator before.

The natural wording is "The gladiator is right!" or "That guy is right!". Why in the world would you TELL people he's someone you've never met when no one has said or implied that you know each other? How often do you walk up to someone and say "Hello person I've never met, what's your name?" rather than just saying "What's your name."

Part of lieing well is acting as if you are telling the truth, and that includes not volunteering information that you normally wouldn't mention.

If Haley LEAVES of the part about "I've never met before" then it draws far less attention to her relationship to Roy. Saying "I've never met before" there makes you substatantially less likely to fool most people over the age of 2.
I agree, except it could make more sense if Haley was doing that specifically for Elan's benefit. That is, she might be well aware that her line is a big giveaway, but it's at least less of one than if Elan blurts out "Roy, you're back!" or something. She could have decided to risk it in light of that alternative.


Generally calling someone 'That' shows dislike of the one being spoken of. I don't consider it an extraneous word.
Not necessarily--it can also indicate someone of low familiarity. Like, "Hey, you remember that Roger guy at karaoke? Turns out he was my sister's date yesterday!"

[Landis963]

do what during a con ?

I'll just leave this here. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SuspiciouslySpecificDenial)

[J's]

Not necessarily--it can also indicate someone of low familiarity. Like, "Hey, you remember that Roger guy at karaoke? Turns out he was my sister's date yesterday!"

Fair enough. And it is hard to tell which from pure context, you need the spoken intonation to be sure the meaning intended by that that, so it must be my expectations that are making me see it that way.

However moving the placement of 'that' after 'everything' in the sentence would have gotten me yelled at by my creative writing teacher. Adding unneeded words weakens the statement, and 'everything I know about Draketooth' is a complete thought.

[AutomatedTeller]

The first reason you stated is plausible, but Tarquin offered Roy a job BEFORE the arena fight.



ok - so? He met Roy and offered him a job. I'm guessing that he did some checking on why Roy was there and found out that he was there because of the bounty hunters, who are connected to Elan. And, of course, he would know that Roy was brought in with Belkar, who Elan definitely doesn't know.

And, of course, there's Durkon, who clearly isn't a secret dwarf ally :)

There's literally no evidence in the comic that he has done that, of course. I'm just assuming he did, since he's pretty smart and organized.

[Procyonpi]

ok - so? He met Roy and offered him a job. I'm guessing that he did some checking on why Roy was there and found out that he was there because of the bounty hunters, who are connected to Elan. And, of course, he would know that Roy was brought in with Belkar, who Elan definitely doesn't know.


My point was that the slip in the arena wasn't a valid reason why he might suspect Roy was related to Elan before offering him a job. I was agreeing that the bounty thing was.

[Shoelessgdowar]

Oh god, now there's two of them...
Frustrating but awesome

I just realized this is the first time Roy's had to deal with the "Elan in stereo" phenomenon. In a couple minutes he's going to be wishing Thog was still there to bash his head through some more pillars.

Please that happened right here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0043.html) for the first time... and since then has happened here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0064.html) and here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0336.html) and here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0363.html)



NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I hope it's not a long wait.
In other news: Ian is set to have a "nice job breaking it hero" moment

So, the sidequest is at last complete? we are returning to the Main Plot, at last?

Nah... most people have guessed it... another intermission, or Linear Equation to solve, or Team Evil Team Building Exercise, or Visit to the Oracle's House of Lies for a piece of poohbarb pie with some whipped dreams and a cherry on top, or maybe a day in the life of Samurai Baby Parents where we learn the little one's name (needs a name to be safe), or perhaps the adventures of O-Chul and MitD as they seek to reunite with one another.



Something I just realized that I don't think anyone has pointed out yet - when she gets turned back to flesh in this strip, Haley finishes her sentance from Strip 789 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html), when she got turned to stone. Talk about attention to detail.

Really? I totally expected it. I was expecting it since I saw she was cut off mid sentence in the first place.



If the palace was not attached, and was actually far, with the palace. How did Elan got to the palace so fast? I mean, Tarquin and Roy had to go by Brontosaur.

He dashed... he is a Dashing Swordsman after all... :) And we saw him add he should take Endurance or Run as his next level feat because of it... see, here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0793.html)



Very good I wonder what he knows.
Also, how the Shmell did Geoff make that landing with that peg leg!?

I pegged him as the type to just stick the landing? Might take a point off for form, but still I wood give him the benefit of the gout.



You can see the distance here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0775.html).
Elan ran.

Oooooo, good reference to depict everything.



They know he was "banished to another plain." Not "banished to the semi-elemental plain of ranch dressing."

That's quite plausible, and would create huge headache's for the order, when they did find him. Ian would feed Girard a story that this was all a conspiracy by Tarquin to get him, and Girard might just believe him.

This comic has also revived my epileptic tree theory that Ian IS Girard. They both (were) redheads and they have a very similar sense of paranoia.

Actually, sending shouldn't be too hard for Durkon to perform, with that they can get further details from V and voila, V's vicariously viewed voluminous venture verily vexed, vehemently. (Sorry, been looking for an excuse to emulate another V since I first saw Vaarsuvius' name abbreviated to the iconic letter)

On the subject of Ian knowing Girard and going to him... he need not know him by that name, he could know him as GD, or Old Scribble, some other alias, perhaps one based on his facial mark. So it is completely plausible that he is going to him. As for Ian being Girard... um... no... for one, Girard does have a quite distinctive mark, second Ian is a 1st Edition Thief not a 1st Edition Illusionist, third Ian is actually way to young to be Girard as we knew Soon and Girard are older then Durokan and Durokan was fairly old when he got beaten by Xykon, meanwhile Soon died of old age. Girard may be long lived, but he is older then Ian is, and if Ian were Girard he wouldn't have gone gray in prison.



Fair enough. And it is hard to tell which from pure context, you need the spoken intonation to be sure the meaning intended by that that, so it must be my expectations that are making me see it that way.

However moving the placement of 'that' after 'everything' in the sentence would have gotten me yelled at by my creative writing teacher. Adding unneeded words weakens the statement, and 'everything I know about Draketooth' is a complete thought.

Which Draketooth? The Hermit Draketooth that hides in the desert? The Adventurer Draketooth who fights with some egotistical Paladin? The Illustionist Draketooth that lives on a Secret Hiddent Tropical Island just off the shores of new Gobopolis so that he is far from where anyone expects him? The Con Man Draketooth who changed his name to Starshine and lives in the town of Greysky where he acts as a member of the Thieves Guild? Or the Dictator Draketooth who rules the land of Bamboozleyah just on the far side of the Wheepies Kingdom? That Draketooth makes sure it is known that he is talking about the one that they're talking about without saying the name Girard or some adjective to define him as the same specific individual with the surname that they've asked about.

[Procyonpi]

Please that happened right here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0043.html) for the first time... and since then has happened here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0064.html) and here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0336.html) and here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0363.html)



Nale =/= Tarquin. He doesn't have the same sense of dramatic convention.

[Shoelessgdowar]

Nale =/= Tarquin. He doesn't have the same sense of dramatic convention.

He still sounds like Elan

[Toofey]

Have the theories about an Ian - Giraud connection been re-raised yet?

[Procyonpi]

He still sounds like Elan

Maybe, but that's not the point. He doesn't go out of his way to follow dramatic convention like Elan or Tarquin. He got his approach from his mother (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0725.html), afterall.

[Roland Itiative]

Great strip, as always.

And 10 gold says Ian will go to wherever Girard is :smalltongue:

[Peelee]

Great strip, as always.

And 10 gold says Ian will go to wherever Girard is :smalltongue:

I'll take that bet. Think he'll happen across Nale, I do I do.

[Knaight]

Not necessarily--it can also indicate someone of low familiarity. Like, "Hey, you remember that Roger guy at karaoke? Turns out he was my sister's date yesterday!"

There is a distinction however. In the case of low familiarity, the name is almost used as an adjective to describe a noun that is usually some variety of person (or the noun turns into an adjective to describe the name). It's "that Roger guy", "that Carlos fellow", "that one actress, Charlotte", "the plumber from last week, Sandy" or similar. Whereas just "that Carlos" or "that Charlotte" or "that Sandy" usually denotes hostility.

It is also worth noting that hostility can be indicated with a noun that is inherently negative. "That jerk Sam" is hostile, though it fits with the first pattern.

[Shoelessgdowar]

There is a distinction however. In the case of low familiarity, the name is almost used as an adjective to describe a noun that is usually some variety of person (or the noun turns into an adjective to describe the name). It's "that Roger guy", "that Carlos fellow", "that one actress, Charlotte", "the plumber from last week, Sandy" or similar. Whereas just "that Carlos" or "that Charlotte" or "that Sandy" usually denotes hostility.

It is also worth noting that hostility can be indicated with a noun that is inherently negative. "That jerk Sam" is hostile, though it fits with the first pattern.

That Girl
and the song from Grease 2
'Whose That Guy?'
would both contradict your premise, as they make That before a single other term positive.
That Girl was essentially the It Girl of her generation, so cool that she was 'That Girl'
and in 'Whose That Guy?' the character being asked about is cool and mysterious, talked about even looking so cool that he could fly (how coolness and the capacity to become airborne equate I do not know, since cool things then to fall while hot things tend to float, but that is a totally different matter).

[Peelee]

That Girl
and the song from Grease 2
'Whose That Guy?'
would both contradict your premise, as they make That before a single other term positive.
That Girl was essentially the It Girl of her generation, so cool that she was 'That Girl'
and in 'Whose That Guy?' the character being asked about is cool and mysterious, talked about even looking so cool that he could fly (how coolness and the capacity to become airborne equate I do not know, since cool things then to fall while hot things tend to float, but that is a totally different matter).

The negative connotations alluded to in his treatise came from the use of a proper name, which implied both parties (the speaker and the listener) both were aware of who was being addressed, in which case the modifier "that" takes on a pejorative tone. The use of nonspecific "guy" or "girl" makes "that" needed to make the specific person more identifiable. As such, the premise still holds.

I like how this thread has drifted into deep grammatical territory. Time to switch out my sourcebooks... PHB getting replaced with MLA!

[King Bosco III]

It can also be endearing. Ex:

:belkar: Bwaha! I have deep-seated emotional problems! Die! Die! Die!

Option 1: That Belkar. :smallmad:

Option 2: Oh, that Belkar. :smallredface:

It depends on intonation, just like most of communication.

[AutomatedTeller]

My point was that the slip in the arena wasn't a valid reason why he might suspect Roy was related to Elan before offering him a job. I was agreeing that the bounty thing was.


Ahh :) I completely agree :) I guess I didn't write that first one carefully enough - I meant that the slip might have reinforced that belief.

[rbetieh]

Great strip, as always.

And 10 gold says Ian will go to wherever Girard is :smalltongue:



Super-big spender...you just made a $17,000 bet! Giant, please note the total amount of money that rides on your arbitrary decision to put Ian and Girard in the same room...:smallamused:

[Zeta Kai]

Well, it was a "close call" that Ian ran away literally one panel before his daughter was revived, preventing them from conversing before he went into self-imposed exile for who-knows-how-long. :smallsigh:

[Morgan Wick]

I have to say, this comic contains some clunky dialogue. With Haley it's intentional, but Elan and Tarquin aren't botching covering for not knowing Roy.

[gooddragon1]

The negative connotations alluded to in his treatise came from the use of a proper name, which implied both parties (the speaker and the listener) both were aware of who was being addressed, in which case the modifier "that" takes on a pejorative tone. The use of nonspecific "guy" or "girl" makes "that" needed to make the specific person more identifiable. As such, the premise still holds.

I like how this thread has drifted into deep grammatical territory. Time to switch out my sourcebooks... PHB getting replaced with MLA!

I'm sorry, but I will never switch over to MLA from APA. MLA is too much like a video game and so on and so forth.

Jk :P I don't even pay attention to grammar styles.

[Sith_Happens]

:haley: "That gladiator I've never met before is right!"

Uh, Haley? Ian did tell you not to do that during a con, right?

:mitd: What con?

[faustin]

My vote for adding D&D versions of Wally and/or Carmen Sandiego in Girard´s hideout.:smallbiggrin:

[EccentricFellow]

Good to see that even despite their differences, Elan still has his Dads back. Father-Son bonding moments like this bring a tear to the eye...

[Jay R]

Havent you ever seen the flinstones? Brontosaurus busses are slower than flinstone mobiles!

That was a previous edition, though. They're riding a 4E brontosaurus.

========

And on another topic, I can't wait to see all the wailing when the next strip begins in the throne room, with Tarquin saying " ... and that's all you need to know about Draketooth."

[Dr.Epic]

Way to go Elan! We could have gotten the answer in this comic, but you had to interrupt! This is just like the verdict with the trial.

[rbetieh]

That was a previous edition, though. They're riding a 4E brontosaurus.

========

And on another topic, I can't wait to see all the wailing when the next strip begins in the throne room, with Tarquin saying " ... and that's all you need to know about Draketooth."

I thought this was a 3.5 world....

[Shoelessgdowar]

That was a previous edition, though. They're riding a 4E brontosaurus.

========

And on another topic, I can't wait to see all the wailing when the next strip begins in the throne room, with Tarquin saying " ... and that's all you need to know about Draketooth."


I thought this was a 3.5 world....

Yes, this is definitely 3.5 edition... we saw them upgrade at the beginning and they haven't been updated again since.

If you want a mockery of 4e rules you need to read 'Will Save World For Gold'

[slurpzURbrainz]

Love the strip.. thanks so much Giant.

Ah Elan.. :)

There are so many levels and directions to OOTS, love them all...
Right now several pcs in my party come to mind... you love them as friends, but sometimes thier characters can so annoy yours... yet you share the spotlight.

Re: Haleys gladiator ive never seen before.. shes depetrified, chats with Elan for a bit.. sees Roy and Tarquin walk up.... and her first words to that ensamble..... I took as a reminder to Elan.


How did pegleg Geof make the landing? into presumably soft sand? Which sports metaphor should i use....

Hole in one?
He nailed it?
He stuck the landing?

Or perhaps theatre?

With his best foot forwards?
Break a leg?
Footloose and fancy free?

Ok.. ill stop now

[Holy_Knight]

Which Draketooth? The Hermit Draketooth that hides in the desert?
I wonder if he means old Ben Draketooth...

[factotum]

Yes, this is definitely 3.5 edition... we saw them upgrade at the beginning and they haven't been updated again since.

The Giant has said that he'll use 4E jokes in the strip if they make sense. I think he also says that doing the big "rules upgrade" gag in strip #1 was a bit of a mistake, because that particular joke doesn't age well...how many people even understand the differences between 3.0 and 3.5 these days to get that joke?

Plus, of course, Xykon existed as a sorcerer decades before Haley's father was a "First Edition thief", so even within the existing canon the editions are a bit mixed up!

[Peelee]

I wonder if he means old Ben Draketooth...

That wizard's just a crazy old man

[Tobimaro]

:elan: duh duh DUH!

[Geordnet]

Anyone want to bet the next strip is in Crayon-Vision(tm)?

[Gusion]

So . . . um, what about V? Or has he/she become as easily forgetable as Blackwing to the rest of the Order?

As otherwise mentioned, she (I like to think of V as a she) can't cast conjuration spells. So that limits her choices. But there are still a few options:

1. If she has the spell, casting banishment (abjuration) on herself would send her back to the material plane... most likely where she was pushed out of it. I think this is the most likely course of action. V has an extensive spellbook after all, she just has to wait 9 hours before being able to do it (assuming it isn't memorized currently).

2. There is also dismissal, but that could have serious problems. (20% chance of being sent to another plane could be very problematic.)

3. Finding someone else to cast an appropriate spell for her.

[Gift Jeraff]

1. If she has the spell, casting banishment (abjuration) on herself would send her back to the material plane... most likely where she was pushed out of it. I think this is the most likely course of action. V has an extensive spellbook after all, she just has to wait 9 hours before being able to do it (assuming it isn't memorized currently).V does indeed have Banishment. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0585.html)

I personally like the idea that s/he'll be rescued by Durkon casting "Summon Monster: V." :smallwink:

[King Bosco III]

lol. Sadly unlikely, though...

Probably whatever it is will be off screen, or some sort of side quest to further delay new info on Girard and his gate.

[veti]

V does indeed have Banishment. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0585.html)

Could V cast Banishment on herself? According to the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/banishment.htm): "It enables you to force extraplanar creatures out of your home plane." It says nothing about what happens if you're not on your home plane.


I personally like the idea that s/he'll be rescued by Durkon casting "Summon Monster: V." :smallwink:

I like this idea much better.

[Gusion]

Could V cast Banishment on herself? According to the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/banishment.htm): "It enables you to force extraplanar creatures out of your home plane." It says nothing about what happens if you're not on your home plane.

Well true, although that is a rule that could be bent. But I guess dismissal is still strictly okay since it "forces an extraplanar creature back to its proper plane if it fails a special Will save" - which V could choose to fail.

[Procyonpi]

Well true, although that is a rule that could be bent. But I guess dismissal is still strictly okay since it "forces an extraplanar creature back to its proper plane if it fails a special Will save" - which V could choose to fail.

V needed scrolls for Dismissal during the battle of Azure City.

[rbetieh]

V needed scrolls for Dismissal during the battle of Azure City.

Are you sure she didnt just scribe a bunch of scrolls because V figured she would need more spells than her spell slots allowed, it was a war after all?

[DougTheHead]

Maybe, but that's not the point. He doesn't go out of his way to follow dramatic convention like Elan or Tarquin. He got his approach from his mother (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0725.html), afterall.

Thanks for clarifying my original point- you're right, I was talking about Elan and Tarquin both having the same approach to dramatic convention, not so much about the way they sound or looked. Roy finds Nale equally annoying, sure, but in his own way.

[faustin]

Originally Posted by Gift Jeraff View Post

I personally like the idea that s/he'll be rescued by Durkon casting "Summon Monster: V."
I like this idea much better.



Blackwing can still urge the Order in the seeking of his master (even if they still think BW is nothing but an illusion spell). If not, Quarr may be forced to subtly interventions (his true Lords still need V as a pawn, and Quarr knew this fact when he gave Z the coordinates of that plane ).
And above all, V is a main character, so the question is how he will manage to escape.

[Halleflux]

Upcoming scribble?

That would be neat, and it's about time for another anyways.

[Hey Vegeta9000]

Everyone sings for scribble-drawings.... And so do I :smallsmile:

[Kymme]

WAIT!!
V is still trapped on the semi-elemental plane of ranch dressing!!

[Quackenbush]

So peg-leg guy wants them to meet up with some associates. Has this 'Ivy' been mentioned before? Probably not by name.

Ivy's Ian's sister

[Raistlin82]

Wrapping things up quite fast, I see.

Last time this happened was right before the Darth V vs Xykon fight.

I got a feeling something awesome is going to happen soon.

[Chad30]

Darn you, Elan! Dramatic pause indeed. I don't know if Hailey's dad is right, or just being paranoid.

[Halleflux]

WAIT!!
V is still trapped on the semi-elemental plane of ranch dressing!!

Yeah, but we can't make any really accurate predictions with that because the last comic with V was, like, two months ago. Probably gonna involve paying off the debt though.

However, if Rich doesn't do plotline related stuff in this next one (as in, the importiant stuff), well.... :furious::furious::furious::furious::furious: :furious::furious::furious::furious::furious: :furious::furious::furious::furious::furious: :furious::furious::furious::furious::furious: :furious::furious::furious::furious::furious:

[Chad30]

Calm down. There really hasn't been much if any filler that I've seen.

[Ridureyu]

I wonder. WIll that dramtic pause be long enough for him to die before actually saying the info?

[i6uuaq]

I wonder. WIll that dramtic pause be long enough for him to die before actually saying the info?

Nope, because he didn't say the magic words (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0663.html).

[FujinAkari]

However, if Rich doesn't do plotline related stuff in this next one (as in, the importiant stuff),

Uuuh... how is 'getting information about Girard's Gate' not important again?

[Procyonpi]

Uuuh... how is 'getting information about Girard's Gate' not important again?

I think he was implying that Rich might switch scenes.

[Cranica]

I personally like the idea that s/he'll be rescued by Durkon casting "Summon Monster: V." :smallwink:

This must happen. I don't care if the script is already written, change it :D

[Chad30]

That would definitely be funny, though some may consider it an ***pull. rule of Funny, though, as TV tropers might say.


Someone may say "But V's not a monster." Well, he's not a person of high moral character, either.

[Ron Miel]

Someone may say "But V's not a monster." .

But he's in the Monster Manual
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0640.html

[Jagos]

I'm not quite sure where that impression comes from. What, specifically, makes you say so? :smallconfused:

The problem with his dad is that he's Chaotic with no reason or rhyme to it. Whatever makes him feel a certain way, he's apt to go with it, so long as it's for the greater good and against Tarquin. It makes no sense whatsoever.

He was to be released, but he still felt the need to escape. He didn't like Roy's plans so he just went out the door. It's kind of frustrating.

[Kish]

He was to be released, but he still felt the need to escape.
He stated unambiguously why he was running away: He didn't trust Tarquin to keep his word.

Ian Starshine has done many stupid and dubiously ethical things. "Not trusting Tarquin" is not one of them.