OOTS Kickstarter Bonus PDFs: The Discussion Thread *Unmarked spoilers*

[The Giant]

This is a general discussion thread for all of the Kickstarter bonus PDF stories that will be coming to the inboxes of people who backed the pledge drive. The first such story, "Uncivil Servant," is available for download now through the Kickstarter update page (but only if you're logged in as a backer).

Some rules for this thread:

Since the point is to discuss these stories, there's no need to mark spoilers for them in this thread. Go ahead and talk about them.
On the other hand, please don't outline the entire plot here. I don't want reading this thread to be a workable substitute for reading them.
Please don't start a second thread for discussing these; we'll just end up merging them.
These stories will be available in print someday for everyone else who didn't back, so if you don't have them now and you think you're likely to buy the book in which they appear...don't read any further!
When posting around the rest of the forum, I strongly recommend spoilering (and marking WHY you're spoilering) any reference to these stories. That'll be more an issue with the plot-heavy ones like O-Chul's story than this first Belkar one, but I thought I'd mention it now.
Discussion of the Kickstarter itself and the progress being made on future stories should stay on the existing Kickstarter thread. This is for talking about the stories themselves after they've been released.


I think that's about it. I'll keep a list of what stories have been released here, so that people can see if they've missed one.

RELEASED PDF STORIES:

Uncivil Servant, starring Belkar Bitterlead (2/21/13)
StickTales: Haleo and Julelan (8/15/13)

[ThePhantasm]

I loved the Belkar story. I totally did not see the twist coming.

[RMS Oceanic]

I can't really blame Belkar for making that mistake. :smalltongue:

[Aurorax]

Oh man.. I thought I saw it coming, and thought that it was a trite story, but wrong again. Beautifully done.

[Coventry]

Nicely tied in with Belkar's running gags.

Bravo!

Although I was left with a question from the back story for this back story. He was a slave?!?

[Beacon of Chaos]

Magnificent! Did not see the ending coming at all. XD

Coventry's right, now there are even more questions about his back story. There are so many slavers in D&D, after all; how are we to know which ones he killed? :smallbiggrin:

[RMS Oceanic]

Nicely tied in with Belkar's running gags.

Bravo!

Although I was left with a question from the back story for this back story. He was a slave?!?

I'm assuming he was enslaved by the guy who knows a guy. Or possibly a guy that guy knows.

[ThePhantasm]

Although I was left with a question from the back story for this back story. He was a slave?!?

I wonder if that's how he knew Buggy Lou.

[Mauve Shirt]

Heh. 49th shade of grey is tied up. I c wat u did thar.

[AdInfinitum]

At first, I thought the twist didn't follow, but yeah, it all matches up, with the house not burning down and... Wow. That was almost as scarring as the normal comic right now.:smalleek:

[MaximKat]

Wow, the twist was totally unexpected. I liked the joke about bloody deathmatch being redundant on the first go, but the next panel takes a whole new sense if you know what's going on.

Nice 4th wall breakage there about venture capitalists. Is "Ali S" supposed to be "alias"?

Anyone else thinks that baker's wife looks like Haley?

[Coventry]

I think it is much more than that.

The current story line in the strip strongly implies that Belkar is about to be enslaved. Again.

And we know (in vague terms) what happened to the slavers the last time that took place.

[Dwy]

I came here to check if there was a new OOTS comic up, but ended up with 12 pages :D

It's a good one too, and adds a little fun to the character, without going as far as actually making him likable.

[Kaulguard]

Yeah, me too! Went to see what was up with the sexy shoeless God of War, and got 12 pages worth! Woot! Great short, Giant, way to tide me over!

[rgrekejin]

Well. That was not a twist I foresaw... although I do wonder where all those rags-to-riches stories were coming from

[MythicFox]

I loved the story. Although one of my first thoughts was "Even if this was Belkar's entire backstory, it's still more complex than some backstories I've gotten at my table."

[oppyu]

Tehe, pretty good. Anyone who doesn't have access to this story should be ashamed and disappointed. ASHAMED AND DISAPPOINTED!

[Glich]

great story thx now get to work on the others /cracks_whip :smallbiggrin:


PS the 49 shades of gray had me giggling keep it up..

[Peelee]

I knew there was something off about the shakedown, I just couldn't quite put my finger on it. When the mayor reacted with disgust, I simply thought they were the overseers of the whole racket, and that's where the bounty money came from. Great twist, and I love how their dialogue reads through completely differently on a second read-through.

[Morty]

Belkar's prequel story, wherein some townsfolk discover the problems inherent in relying on armed vagrants to solve their problems.

[fergo]

Downloading as I speak... I literally cannot wait :smallbiggrin:. Thank you Giant, you are a true gentleman!

[asphias]

lovely story!

Rich, should OOTS ever finish and you don't have any idea yet what to do next, then just release a new belkar story every week. the adventures of this clueless cook are certainly awesome enough for its own spinoff-comic!:smallbiggrin:

[The Giant]

IAs the other PDFs are also prequels, I'll assume they'll be B&W as well, but I want to check and make sure due to the teaser poster when the kick starter was announced - will the O-Chul PDF be black and white, or full color?

O-Chul will be in "bluescale," or monochrome blue. Think black-and-white, but with shades of blue instead of shades of grey. Therkla's story will probably be the same way, since she's from Azure City too. If you want to see what it looks like, check out the cover image I used for O-Chul's story during the Kickstarter.

The other prequel stories (C.P.P.D and Sir Francois & the Dragon), the StickTales (Haleo and Julelan), and Julio Scoundrél will be in black-and-white, to match the existing stories of the same group from Snips, Snails, and Dragon Tales. Dim Sun will be in full color.

[fergo]

Thoughts:

Pah, silly halfling. Everyone knows cask is superior to keg.
Is... is that the Giant's hand? Is this the first ever in-comic appearence of Rich?
That guy looks weird wearing a helmet.

[nogall]

Thoughts:

Is... is that the Giant's hand? Is this the first ever in-comic appearence of Rich?


either this is his left hand, or better yet his thumb is really better!
:smallredface::smallcool:

[Prospero7]

Great story Giant! Thank you! :belkar:

[Italian Hippy]

RELEASED PDF STORIES:

Uncivil Servant, starring Belkar Bitterlead (2/21/13)


Belkar is so tough he can CHEW METAL!

Seriously, though, it was an easy mistake to make. And they should be grateful! Belkar solved all their problems.

[Starwaster]

I haven't enjoyed a story like this since Groo went out of print.

[fergo]

At first, I thought the twist didn't follow, but yeah, it all matches up, with the house not burning down and... Wow. That was almost as scarring as the normal comic right now.:smalleek:

Wow, I never even thought about that :smalleek:. This may well be the last time we ever see Belkar as, well, Belkar.



Anyone else thinks that baker's wife looks like Haley?

Yeah, I actually thought it was her and that the story was taking a completely unexpected direction...

[Pantler]

Loved it. Belkar rocks.

[JCarter426]

Great story! This was the first OOTS content I received because I'm still waiting on my patience pledge, so it was especially great! I have nothing to add, it was just great. Well, one thing does come to mind: Belkar's real name is never mentioned in the actual story... unless Ali S. Fakenamington is his real name.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the others... I presume Haleo & Julelan is next.

[zql]

I laughed so hard with the venture capitalist joke
excelent material!

[ahdok]

Loved the story. Guessed the twist, but that's probably just because that's how I expect anything Belkar does to turn out.

Your puns in the tailor's office almost deserve their own entire thread.

[MaximKat]

shades of blue instead of shades of grey
So, 49 shades of blue? Or will they import the missing one by then?

[ThePhantasm]

I love that Fakenamington's illustration looks like Bilbo or Frodo, complete with Sting in hand.

[Red.Tide]

Wow, I never even thought about that :smalleek:. This may well be the last time we ever see Belkar as, well, Belkar.

I thought the timing was perfect... just as Belkar is (probably) about to undergo a permanent change, the details of which are not yet clear, we get one encore performance of the old Belkar. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the reason that Rich started working on this one first (although I wouldn't be surprised if it weren't)

[Forderz]

You never disappoint, Rich.

I thought I saw the twist, but then it all became so gloriously clear.

[oball]

Anyone else thinks that baker's wife looks like Haley?

For a second I thought it was Inkyrius, who is after all an apprentice baker.

[fergo]

I thought the timing was perfect... just as Belkar is (probably) about to undergo a permanent change, the details of which are not yet clear, we get one encore performance of the old Belkar. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the reason that Rich started working on this one first (although I wouldn't be surprised if it weren't)

Good thinking. It is rather well timed.

But still... I don't want Belkar to die :smallfrown:.

I don't want to start off another prophecy/resurrection/leaving-this-world debate, so I won't go further than saying that it seems likely Belkar as we know him won't be around much longer. He's an odious little so-and-so, to be sure, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't going to miss him.

[SaintRidley]

I, too, expected the mayor to be heading the racket and not what we got.

I'm now very curious as to what happened when Belkar was a slave. Perhaps if we have a rumored Linear Guild/Tarquin prequel we'll have a single panel Belkar cameo where he's in Buggy Lou's chains?

[Arin]

Great story! This was the first OOTS content I received because I'm still waiting on my patience pledge, so it was especially great!

Didn't you get the Spring Monster for Every Season? Amazing stuff in there, I'm kinda hoping summer's next, my gaming table is heading in that direction. ;)


I thought the timing was perfect... just as Belkar is (probably) about to undergo a permanent change, the details of which are not yet clear, we get one encore performance of the old Belkar.

Actually, if I'm totally honest, it took some of the fun out of the story for me. Just two weeks ago I could have enjoyed it with care free frolic and laughter, but tonight it was... I dunno, kinda like watching a VHS of a dead kid's birthday party. The pain runs beneath the surface, even while you're smiling at the antics on the screen.

Not to say it wasn't a great story, but I think I'll enjoy it a lot more re-reading it months from now, when the pain isn't so fresh.

[JCarter426]

Didn't you get the Spring Monster for Every Season? Amazing stuff in there, I'm kinda hoping summer's next, my gaming table is heading in that direction. ;)

The monsters are great, of course, but I mean story content.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Actually, if I'm totally honest, it took some of the fun out of the story for me. Just two weeks ago I could have enjoyed it with care free frolic and laughter, but tonight it was... I dunno, kinda like watching a VHS of a dead kid's birthday party. The pain runs beneath the surface, even while you're smiling at the antics on the screen.

Not to say it wasn't a great story, but I think I'll enjoy it a lot more re-reading it months from now, when the pain isn't so fresh.

You've got a point. A lovely last send-off to Belkar, but it's got a bit of a melancholy feel to it. Then again, he's not dead-dead yet!

[The Pilgrim]

Well, looks like Belkar's dealings with slavery weren't just an anecdotic episody of his past.

[Silkspinner]

Very much enjoyed the entire story, though still admit to having looked forward to a childhood tale of 'why isn't he jolly???'.

Granted, he isn't a main main character like Roy/Xykon/Redcloak, but still would have been interested to see what brought him to be blood-thirsty. Slavery could have something to do with that I suppose.

[fergo]

Very much enjoyed the entire story, though still admit to having looked forward to a childhood tale of 'why isn't he jolly???'.

Granted, he isn't a main main character like Roy/Xykon/Redcloak, but still would have been interested to see what brought him to be blood-thirsty. Slavery could have something to do with that I suppose.

I think Rich has said a few times in the past that he's simply not interested in giving Belkar anything that could be construed as a sympathetic backstory :smallsmile:

[FujinAkari]

That was great Rich!

[Vinsfeld]

I laughed for about 10 minutes when I saw the panel with the volleyball field.

Great work, Giant.

As a non-native english speaker, I had some trouble with the 'stationary' part. But google saved the day. And I still laughed a lot.

Also, Belkar was one of my favourites characters and I never wanted him to die. I hope he doesn't get killed off, because I like him even more now. He's just too funny.

[Procyonpi]

I loved the meta Kickstarter reference making fun of venture capitalists.

[Vinsfeld]

Thoughts:

Is... is that the Giant's hand? Is this the first ever in-comic appearence of Rich?



I didn't see a hand. Where's it? :smallconfused:


EDIT: I just got the joke. I feel dumb :smallsigh:

[ti'esar]

I'm surprised by how much this actually did provide Belkar with a backstory - based on some of Rich's previous comments, I expected it to just be a random adventure from before he met the group. Instead, we got the origin of his outfit and his first foray into adventuring.

Also, the shoemaking elves gag was just hilarious. :smallbiggrin:

[Anarion]

One thing I find really interesting about this story is that it plays up Belkar's extremely low wisdom as the basis for much of his character. It seems like a lot of "evil" is simply being concerned for his personal well-being and at the same time being totally unable to distinguish between violence that people think is useful or good and violence that is monstrous and abhorrent.

It actually makes me think that the "Belkar becomes good when he gains wisdom" gag from way back in strip 58 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0058.html) had a real insight into the character, rather than simply being a throwaway gag.


Dim Sun will be in full color.

My anticipation is heightened.

[Hrairoo]

Wow! yeah, Uncivil Servant definitely does not disappoint! i will admit, though, even though this is an awesome origin story, i still want to know more about belkar's life before adulthood...

[Nephrahim]

That was a fun little story. I, like many others it seems, did not expect the twist. I suppose that's just how you dress in a D&D setting...

[Yana]

Well played, Giant. Well played.

I honestly thought that this was a joke comic until we met the tailor. An excellent transition.

[Ted The Bug]

*sigh*

I'm gonna miss the evil little blighter. Loved this as a final encore of the Belkar we knew and tolerated.

[pearl jam]

Also, the shoemaking elves gag was just hilarious. :smallbiggrin:

Yes, I got quite a kick out of that, too.

[Exediron]

Well worth the wait; started out a bit slow, but it really started to warm up quickly and stayed hilarious to the end. I - like most people, apparently - expected a twist in the plot, but didn't see it coming the way it ended up (I prefer it that way). I also really love how when you go back and re-read it everything just falls into place and makes sense.

I'm sad to say it, but I'm really not sad that Belkar may not be with us much longer; while I find him to be an amusing character to watch, and sometimes even an interesting character, I've never found him to be sympathetic. So my enjoyment of the story was not damaged by recent events in the main strip.

Also: Yayy! Print collection to come! Put me down for that one. Print collections make the Neo-Luddite in me happy. :smallsmile:

[Squark]

Thank you, Giant. Haven't enjoyed a comic this much in a while.

[Sethala]

Hah, well done. I didn't predict the twist perfectly either, though I did start to think that the guys weren't just thugs when I saw Belkar going back to the mayor. Instead, I thought they might be related, sons of his or something (one adopted, perhaps), but I still thought they were thugs.

Though I do have a crazy theory. How old is Belkar in the main comic, does anyone know?

[Funmerchant]

Dear Giant,
re; page 8 panel 5, sign in window

You're welcome.

[backstaab]

Haham great comic! Didn't see the twist coming either, probably because it's so "normal" to see Belkar, mmm, sorry Ali, kill everything that moves without any backfire!

Just one comment though, on page 6 panel 7, there's a typo, I believe it should be "baguette" and not "bageutte", at least if you're refering to french bread!

[Forbiddenwar]

I find it wonderful that I and, I presume, most readers, as well as Belker, simply assumed that Belker's most valued skill was in killing things. It was a great insight in how not only Belker sees himself, (bad ass at killing, not jumping) but how the audience and the other characters also see him.

Wasn't Roy who also thought the same of him? That his only redeemable quality is that sometimes Belker killed bad guys, usually by accident?

[Winter]

This was an unexpected read in the morning. :D

[Quarion Nailo]

Uncivil Servant, starring Belkar Bitterlead (2/21/13)


It's funny, because Belkar's the lead.

[Garwain]

I don't get the Toshiro Mifune reference....

[generic.hybrid]

It's a reference to a Kurosawa film. I'm sure you can see similarities between the plots.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yojimbo_(film)

[Totally Guy]

So I read it last night at home. This morning I find myself asking why the pair ran away from the deputy mayor? And I can't reference the PDF right now as I'm at work.

[Dr. Gamera]

As a non-native english speaker, I had some trouble with the 'stationary' part. But google saved the day. And I still laughed a lot.

When the tailor first mentions "stationary", I think it's a typo for "stationery".

Also, thank you Rich, and thank you anonymous backer!

[Tom Lehmann]

Who knew? We've been told that Belkar has just two skill sets all these years when he actually has three and the third one has been right in front of us all along...

Nicely played, Rich. And, thank you, O Generous Backer for donating and choosing Belkar.

[ChristianSt]

Really great story! <3 Belkar *g* (Can we get another one some day?)

[Only thing that would be a nice addition would be some comment like they're are in the books, but I think we have to wait until the story is actually inside a book]

[stsasser]

You've got a point. A lovely last send-off to Belkar, but it's got a bit of a melancholy feel to it. Then again, he's not dead-dead yet!

Very Chaplin/iris out/Tramp feel to Belkar heading down the road.

[allenw]

Thoughts:

Is... is that the Giant's hand? Is this the first ever in-comic appearence of Rich?


I would count the police sketch artist (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0339.html) as an appearance, even if his actual "appearance" apparently doesn't resemble Rich.

[FujinAkari]

Thoughts:

Is... is that the Giant's hand? Is this the first ever in-comic appearence of Rich?


Sir Thumb (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0864.html) is really sad that no one remembers him...

[Jay R]

Thoughts:
Is... is that the Giant's hand? Is this the first ever in-comic appearence of Rich?

Bold Sir Thumb appeared here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0864.html).

[King of Nowhere]

I found it more sad than funny for the greater part, but still nice. Couldn't expect anything else from a belkar without roy to control him.

By the way, at page 4 of the pdf file, there are a couple of boots of eldricht supremacy with something written on them. It really looks like a code, and I expect it to contain some random joke like the one when V accepted the soul splice. I don't want to take the effort of translating it, but I'd really appreciate if someone with more passion for eciphering codes did.

[SaintRidley]

So I read it last night at home. This morning I find myself asking why the pair ran away from the deputy mayor? And I can't reference the PDF right now as I'm at work.

Because she set the rules, and they both probably felt like they might be breaking the rules (either by talking to an outsider, or by collusion, or something) so they had to avoid the appearance of breaking the rules.

[Sunken Valley]

Question: What level is Belkar supposed to be in this? He's obviously high level as he can destroy the town and kill the 28HP Ankheg with one blow, but not that high as his first act was to run from the creature, this is set before he was imprisoned by the town guard in Origin and before he gained Level 9 in 12. But if he was any level below 7, the chance of him killing the Ankheg with one blow is low.

Also, since when was Belkar a good jumper before his ring? He did not demonstrate this skill before his ring (Fight with Linear guild being primary example) and he is limited by his height under 3.5 rules.

Finally, any hint as to which story is next on the line up.

PS: the twist at the end is the greatest i've seen. It made me go back and check everything (something I rarely do). "Money for the boys" indeed.

[Advance Strat..]

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0270.html

I dunno if Rich actually remembered that panel or not, but either way there you have it!

[Forbiddenwar]

Also, since when was Belkar a good jumper before his ring? He did not demonstrate this skill before his ring (Fight with Linear guild being primary example) and he is limited by his height under 3.5 rules.


Ah, detailed analysis. The only thing I know for sure is that is is a prequel, and so is under 3.0 rules, which, IIRC, have no height limits on jump. Ergo, Belkar didn't need his ring of jumping until strip 1 when they upgraded to 3.5 rules.

[Morty]

I really doubt that 3.5 rules played any part in this story.

[Toper]

Aaah so good! My favorite gag was the magical shoemaking elves, but there was a lot of awesomely clever dialogue, like the "stationary store" exchange.

[hamishspence]

Ah, detailed analysis. The only thing I know for sure is that is is a prequel, and so is under 3.0 rules, which, IIRC, have no height limits on jump. Ergo, Belkar didn't need his ring of jumping until strip 1 when they upgraded to 3.5 rules.

Isn't it the other way round- with 3.0 having a height-based cap on jump checks, not 3.5?

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/jump.htm

[King of Nowhere]

belkar has always had his jump maximized or close to that. so he could already jump high enough.

And for the killing the ankeg with one hit, I think you're taking it too literally. rich can't show all the hits in a battle, especially since belkar is likely to have 5 or 6 attacks per round. they were probably several blows.

Last, in the first scene belkar run away from the ankeg because he is unarmed. the second time he has a knife with him (a bread knife, true, but still a weapon) so he fight.

[JosephOrJoe]

This is fantastic. The "monsters with skin like a baguette" line is hilarious, and panel 1, page 5 is a wonderful moment -- serene Belkar.

Thanks.

[Beacon of Chaos]

One thing I find really interesting about this story is that it plays up Belkar's extremely low wisdom as the basis for much of his character. It seems like a lot of "evil" is simply being concerned for his personal well-being and at the same time being totally unable to distinguish between violence that people think is useful or good and violence that is monstrous and abhorrent.

It actually makes me think that the "Belkar becomes good when he gains wisdom" gag from way back in strip 58 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0058.html) had a real insight into the character, rather than simply being a throwaway gag.
Huh. I didn't remember that. It's a pretty interesting thing. Nice catch.

[NerdyKris]

So I read it last night at home. This morning I find myself asking why the pair ran away from the deputy mayor? And I can't reference the PDF right now as I'm at work.

Hiring "ringers", or professionals, as employees to win a company charity event is generally frowned upon. That's what they were doing with Belkar. There's lots of examples of this in media. Most notably the "Homer at the Bat" episode of The Simpsons, where Burns hired real baseball players into entry level positions so they could play on the company softball team.

edit to add- Technically, a ringer is anyone entered under false pretenses, not just the fact that they're a professional. But in terms of charity or company teams, it usually means finding a proffessional player and hiring them temporarily, just for the purpose of playing on your team.

[Analytica]

Very interesting. Did not predict the twist, at all.

Agree that low Wisdom behind Evil shines through in his case. Particularly to start with, he seems almost autistically oblivious to a lot of things, and frequently the victim of circumstances because of it. Hungry, ragged Belkar does evoke my sympathy, as well as Belkar fleeing the ankheg.

Then, with every chance he gets, he verbally argues for Evil as a system, as in Evil is the only way the world makes sense for him, getting and receiving in like measure. He hasn't learned yet that others may think differently.

Yes, very low Wisdom, and shaped by a poor, hard life. Neither of which made him anything other than Evil.

[ThePhantasm]

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0270.html

I dunno if Rich actually remembered that panel or not, but either way there you have it!

Very nice catch. I hadn't made that connection.

[Peelee]

Very nice catch. I hadn't made that connection.

I'm confused. Is that referring to the last line, "It's as true today as it was when I started adventuring: 'when in doubt, set something on fire?'" The only thing set on fire were his old clothes. Or am I missing something?

[Incom]

I'm confused. Is that referring to the last line, "It's as true today as it was when I started adventuring: 'when in doubt, set something on fire?'" The only thing set on fire were his old clothes. Or am I missing something?

Yes, I believe that's it. Reread the last half-page or so of the PDF.

[Tom Lehmann]

I'm confused. Is that referring to the last line, "It's as true today as it was when I started adventuring: 'when in doubt, set something on fire?'" The only thing set on fire were his old clothes. Or am I missing something?
How about the implicit threat to set the village on fire if Belkar's not paid off...

[oball]

I think some people are interpreting the last page as Belkar burning down and looting the town once he realises the fire service is gone, and thus can't prevent it. I took it to mean that he extorted them out of all their money by threatening to burn the town down, in a kind of "Nice town you have here, shame if something were to happen to it" way.

[Peelee]

I think some people are interpreting the last page as Belkar burning down and looting the town once he realises the fire service is gone, and thus can't prevent it. I took it to mean that he extorted them out of all their money by threatening to burn the town down, in a kind of "Nice town you have here, shame if something were to happen to it" way.

Ahhh. Therein lay my problem. I was taking it literally and thinking he actually did burn something, and skipped over the "nice town, shame if it were to burn down" threat. Thanks!

[Vinsfeld]

Ahhh. Therein lay my problem. I was taking it literally and thinking he actually did burn something, and skipped over the "nice town, shame if it were to burn down" threat. Thanks!

I actually thought he had burned down the whole village. I mean, it's just like him to do this.

[Bedinsis]

I assume this is a canon story? I recall a line somewhere of the Giant potentially writing a kickstarter story with "Belkar being Belkar, continuity be darned".

[SaintRidley]

I assume this is a canon story? I recall a line somewhere of the Giant potentially writing a kickstarter story with "Belkar being Belkar, continuity be darned".


Yes, it is.



I do have a question for Rich. I'm currently taking a graduate course on comics and will probably be taking a segment of Order of the Stick for my final paper later this semester. I'm wondering if I would be permitted to use this story as the focus of a scholarly paper (and by necessity reproduce it for my professor). Fully understandable if I'm not, as I'm debating and leaning slightly toward a portion of Start of Darkness.

[JackRackham]

Belkar is so tough he can CHEW METAL!

Seriously, though, it was an easy mistake to make. And they should be grateful! Belkar solved all their problems.

He certainly solved the problem of the murderous vagrant at the end there. It wasn't cheap, but you pay for quality, right?

[Peelee]

Yes, it is.



I do have a question for Rich. I'm currently taking a graduate course on comics and will probably be taking a segment of Order of the Stick for my final paper later this semester. I'm wondering if I would be permitted to use this story as the focus of a scholarly paper (and by necessity reproduce it for my professor). Fully understandable if I'm not, as I'm debating and leaning slightly toward a portion of Start of Darkness.

You might be best PMing him. More details on how you plan tI outline things couldn't hurt. Of course, he could just answer on here; PM is just the course of action I'd take were I inhibit shoes.

[stsasser]

You might be best PMing him. More details on how you plan tI outline things couldn't hurt. Of course, he could just answer on here; PM is just the course of action I'd take were I inhibit shoes.

He might send Jones and Rodriguez, since the pdf is a limited access work at this time.

[Kareasint]

I think some people are interpreting the last page as Belkar burning down and looting the town once he realises the fire service is gone, and thus can't prevent it. I took it to mean that he extorted them out of all their money by threatening to burn the town down, in a kind of "Nice town you have here, shame if something were to happen to it" way.

I'm with you.

I knew something was wrong about the situation when the shopkeeper tossed the money at the police chief and fire warden. Normally, you would expect fighting over money between two thieves.

[Onyavar]

I'm not a native, so the station[e/a]ry joke was lost on me on first read-through. Thanks for pointing it out in this thread.

The peddler though... he sells bicycles... is this a reference to "black market" or "pedals"? Or am I missing something again?

Anyhow, great story. I thought I called the twist early. And I was STILL extremely surprised just HOW evilly twisted it was.
And I'm grateful that Belkar spared the town from burning. After robbing/extorting them, of course.

And the slavery really begs for another back(ers) story. I already see that there is a timeline in Belkars adventures
- leaving his home village
- slavery deals with Buggy Lou / being enslaved and killing his former comrades?
- Uncivic servitude
- jailed in Origins
- Online comics

[NerdyKris]

I'm not a native, so the station[e/a]ry joke was lost on me on first read-through. Thanks for pointing it out in this thread.

The peddler though... he sells bicycles... is this a reference to "black market" or "pedals"? Or am I missing something again?



Stationary means both "standing still" and "paper". So he calls it a stationary store, which Belkar takes to mean a store that is standing still. When he asks don't all stores stand still, the tailor replies "not the peddler".

A peddler is normally a wandering merchant, not a store. So someone selling from a cart, basically. But the joke is that he sells bicycles, which one rides by peddling. So it's a series of puns.

[Advance Strat..]

I took it as he extorted them... and then burned it down anyways. I mean, he's already known to be a fan of burning things even if it's not the best idea because it'd be funny. Remember the bandit camp way back when?

[Peelee]

I took it as he extorted them... and then burned it down anyways. I mean, he's already known to be a fan of burning things even if it's not the best idea because it'd be funny. Remember the bandit camp way back when?

So now the big, lingering question is, did that town actually get burned down or not?

[sam79]

And the slavery really begs for another back(ers) story. I already see that there is a timeline in Belkars adventures
- leaving his home village
- slavery deals with Buggy Lou / being enslaved and killing his former comrades?
- Uncivic servitude
- jailed in Origins
- Online comics

Or maybe Belaker's period as a slaver comes after this story, as he has seen how the business model is succesful?

[The Giant]

Belkar did not actually burn the town down. If he had, I would have shown smoking ruins or the like to make that clear.

[Peelee]

Belkar did not actually burn the town down. If he had, I would have shown smoking ruins or the like to make that clear.

I'm pretty happy this is one of the things you decided to jump in on to clear up. I really wasn't liking the idea of Belkar extorting the townsfolk out of all the money in exchange for not killing them only to kill them anyway. Thanks!

[JackRackham]

Belkar did not actually burn the town down. If he had, I would have shown smoking ruins or the like to make that clear.

So, he really ISN'T evil? I knew it! (Joking, obviously)

[Psyren]

That was great! And yeah, I don't really blame Belkar either, those two had it coming. :smalltongue:


One joke I didn't get:

"Does the gentleman like the style?"
"Sure, especially if she's good with her-"
"I meant the style of the clothing, sir."
"Oh!"

Does "style" have some other meaning I don't know?

[jere7my]

One joke I didn't get:

"Does the gentleman like the style?"
"Sure, especially if she's good with her-"
"I meant the style of the clothing, sir."
"Oh!"

Does "style" have some other meaning I don't know?

See the previous frame. "Half and half" is prostitute lingo for half oral / half PIV.

[Psyren]

See the previous frame. "Half and half" is prostitute lingo for half oral / half PIV.

Ha! I definitely didn't know that. I don't know why I thought he meant coffee creamer... spending too much time in the office I suppose :smallredface:

[jere7my]

Ha! I definitely didn't know that.

Er, uh, I...I didn't either! Um.

[The Second]

Tank you Mr. Giant sir! May I have another?

Download just finished, so I'm off to reading about everyone's favorite (or least favorite) halfling.


See the previous frame. "Half and half" is prostitute lingo for half oral / half PIV.

I didn't get the joke either, until now.

And now it makes so much sense it hurts.

[WowWeird]

Iiked the story in general, but I only really started enjoying it after reading the big twist at the end. That was just brilliant.
Were the names "Brint" and "Shart" references to something? They seemed very odd to me.
Also, since people have been mentioning their favorite lines, mine would have to be from the deputy mayor, right after discussing why they call the giant acid-spewing bug an ankheg - "Sadly, that's not specific enough in this region" It's pretty subtle, but really implies how much life would suck for an average peasant in a D&D campaign.

[ss49]

I dunno about "Brint", but "Shart" references a symptom of intestinal distress, where flatulence (a fart) might come with an extra prize (****).

And Belkar's threat to the village reminds me of an episode of Oglaf, where a village tries to get out of paying a promised reward to Grier:

"The village is poor!"
"The village is flammable."

[oball]

Should probably warn people that Oglaf in general and that strip in particular are NSFW.

[sam79]

See the previous frame. "Half and half" is prostitute lingo for half oral / half PIV.

I'd assumed that 'half and half' had some sort of sexual meaning; thanks for confirming my suspicion and providing a definition.

[Flame of Anor]

Should probably warn people that Oglaf in general and that strip in particular are NSFW.

But very funny, for those who don't mind large amounts of nudity and sex.

[oball]

Oh, no doubt, Oglaf is fantastic. Just thought that anyone unfamiliar with it might appreciate being warned they were about to click through to a page full of cartoon dong. After all, kids read this comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0032.html).

[factotum]

I was a bit puzzled why the guy that was being asked for money near the beginning appeared to be afraid of the two guys--I know it was plot-necessary in order for Belkar to make the mistake he did, but why did he act that way? :smallconfused:

[Winter]

I assumed he did not want to pay in the first place and was more "annoyed" than actually "afraid".

If you want "afraid" in, just assume he is somewhat broke and does not want to pay the little gold he has, but he is afraid people in the town find out about his financial situation. That'd explain anything we saw?

[wzeller]

I loved this.

But my loudest out-loud laugh didn't come until the third reading.

That was when I first noticed the sign being held up in the window during the beat after the venture capitalist/Kickstarter joke.

The first couple times, I thought it was just a moment of self-realization that they'd gone off into a surreal topic and it was time to reign themselves in. Sort of a, "WTF were we just saying?" I found it hilarious with just that. But when I noticed the sign in the window, around which that whole cell was built, I just about fell off the couch.

You're welcome, Rich. You're welcome.

m

[rewinn]

The twisted denouement of "Uncivil Servant" calls to mind an actual IRL event. In 1856, tribes from Eastern Washington raided Seattle; Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens put a bounty on their heads: $20 for ordinary Indians and $80 for a "chief". Patkanim, chief of the Snohomish and allied tribes, obligingly delivered a sack of heads to the governor's office in Olympia, demanded payment, and was ready to provide more. The Territorial Auditor, suspecting that he was merely culling his slaves and in the process promoting a suspicious number of them to "chief", put a stop to the bounty system (but I don't know whether the initial bounty was in fact paid).
Belkar is indeed an evil creature, but not unrealistic.

[ss49]

Should probably warn people that Oglaf in general and that strip in particular are NSFW.

After a half & half was defined, I may have forgotten about that. Sorry!

[The Giant]

I was a bit puzzled why the guy that was being asked for money near the beginning appeared to be afraid of the two guys--I know it was plot-necessary in order for Belkar to make the mistake he did, but why did he act that way? :smallconfused:

He was being hard-sell harassed at like 6:00 am in the morning, in a way that he couldn't get out of. My thinking was that he was the sort of guy who has been studiously avoiding being near the people canvassing for donations for the last few weeks, and now he's been cornered. He's doesn't have the spine to just say, "I don't want to donate to your charity thing," though, so he's flustered and nervous. "Nervous" and "afraid" look pretty much the same (which was the point).

EDIT: Oh, and "Brint" and "Shart" don't refer to anything. I just made up short names that sounded sort of brutish and harsh to further hide the twist. If "shart" has a slang meaning, I didn't know about it.

[Cerlis]

I knew there was something off about the shakedown, I just couldn't quite put my finger on it. When the mayor reacted with disgust, I simply thought they were the overseers of the whole racket, and that's where the bounty money came from. Great twist, and I love how their dialogue reads through completely differently on a second read-through.

well, i thought it was because wholetale slaughter and beheading of sentient humanoid beings is alot different than killing bugs.

but that wasnt it.

[Flame of Anor]

The twisted denouement of "Uncivil Servant" calls to mind an actual IRL event. In 1856, tribes from Eastern Washington raided Seattle; Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens put a bounty on their heads: $20 for ordinary Indians and $80 for a "chief". Patkanim, chief of the Snohomish and allied tribes, obligingly delivered a sack of heads to the governor's office in Olympia, demanded payment, and was ready to provide more. The Territorial Auditor, suspecting that he was merely culling his slaves and in the process promoting a suspicious number of them to "chief", put a stop to the bounty system (but I don't know whether the initial bounty was in fact paid).
Belkar is indeed an evil creature, but not unrealistic.

http://images.sodahead.com/profiles/0/0/2/4/1/7/1/2/3/hahaha-oh-wow-74066853095.jpeg

[Cerlis]

He was being hard-sell harassed at like 6:00 am in the morning, in a way that he couldn't get out of. My thinking was that he was the sort of guy who has been studiously avoiding being near the people canvassing for donations for the last few weeks, and now he's been cornered. He's doesn't have the spine to just say, "I don't want to donate to your charity thing," though, so he's flustered and nervous. "Nervous" and "afraid" look pretty much the same (which was the point).

EDIT: Oh, and "Brint" and "Shart" don't refer to anything. I just made up short names that sounded sort of brutish and harsh to further hide the twist. If "shart" has a slang meaning, I didn't know about it.

I woke up to some (extremely fast talking) guy trying to sell/peddle some form of donation object. I actually think he said something about it coming in the mail so it was probably a scam. I've also been harassed in the middle of the night in walmart and target parking lots by people trying to peddle perfume.

It made me feel very uncomfortable, freaked out and nervous. Especially since the first thing you wonder when a complete stranger comes right at you in the middle of a parking lot is that they are going to rob you.

So i really felt for the poor guy.

[Sir_Leorik]

Kudos, Rich! I really enjoyed "Uncivil Servant", and having finally gotten to read it, it makes the $12.00 I paid for a pair of magnets seem almost worthwhile! (Just kidding, I really liked the Roy magnets, which have been guarding my refrigerator for months!)

A few comments: Only someone as stupid and bloodthirsty as Belkar could have both leapt to the conclusions he reached and taken the subsequent actions he took. I could see Elan, or even Roy, mistaking Brint and Shart for crooks, but they'd probably report them to the chief of police, which would have ended the mix-up fast. (Also, Roy never slays first and asks questions later, that's Belkar.) So chalk this case of mistaken identity to a combination of comical misunderstanding, bloodthirstiness and gross stupidity.

The comic did do a nice job of giving Belkar a back story without humanizing him. Belkar was a slave. That's how he knew Buggy Lou and Buggy's pals. However being a slave did not in any way shape or form humanize him, because Belkar was already a psychotic murderer beforehand. I see what you did there Rich: You got to have your cake and eat it too. Very clever!

Glad to hear your hand has been healing! Now get to work on the O-Chul and "Dim Sun" pieces! :)

[Kurald Galain]

Very nice tale. Belkar is being awesome :smallbiggrin:

[Blisstake]

Hm, I actually saw the ending coming (well, that they weren't actually criminals, not that it was a volleyball game), but I still really enjoyed it. I wonder what he ended up spending his money on.

Then again, based on his conversation with the tailor, I probably don't want to know.

[Kurald Galain]

Hm, I actually saw the ending coming (well, that they weren't actually criminals, not that it was a volleyball game), but I still really enjoyed it. I wonder what he ended up spending his money on.

At a wild guess, either a sex taint, a cart of gophers, or some d*mn mansion whores. :smalltongue:

[Skavensrule]

Took three tries to finish downloading the story, not because of any fault of the link ut because the crappy internet here tends to blink every 10 minutes, aaarrggh!
The story was well worth the stress though, Well Done Giant, well done!
The half and half reference almost had me spit a soda out on my keyboard though since I did understand it even though I don't know where I have heard it before. Probably from some HBO series. Looking forward to reading the O-Chul and Therkla stories. Thank you Giant, and glad that your hand is doing better.

[t209]

Took three tries to finish downloading the story, not because of any fault of the link ut because the crappy internet here tends to blink every 10 minutes, aaarrggh!
The story was well worth the stress though, Well Done Giant, well done!
The half and half reference almost had me spit a soda out on my keyboard though since I did understand it even though I don't know where I have heard it before. Probably from some HBO series. Looking forward to reading the O-Chul and Therkla stories. Thank you Giant, and glad that your hand is doing better.
For O-Chul, I hope we know what happened to Hinjo's Parents or his probable life as a retainer for some nobles (his uniform is different from other azurite soldier).
For Therkla, say hello to racist town of Azure City (Well, orcs were hated in typical D&D settings or at least least accepted race other than elves).

[hamishspence]

War & XPs (back of the book- Tourist Guide) does say that only human-blooded (though this includes half-humans) can be granted citizenship in Azure City.

[t209]

Was it just me or the mayor look like the dude from Monopoly?

[suyaandsammie]

I sadly missed the Kickstarter...

Is it possible somebody can still donate money to be able to see these comics ;~;

[Shale]

Nope. But they'll be published in books eventually.

[Brown Mage]

Belkar key traits have already been established as being too quick to kill people and also that he is incapable of understanding the difference between "good" and "bad" killing (which in my mind means he's more psychotic neutral then evil). A theme established in previous comics is that once Belkar is rewarded for killing an evil thing, he must immediately screw up the goodwill by killing something good.

It was obvious that Belkar had to misread the shakedown and kill good people, what was not clear was how.

[hamishspence]

Belkar key traits have already been established as being too quick to kill people and also that he is incapable of understanding the difference between "good" and "bad" killing (which in my mind means he's more psychotic neutral then evil).

"psychotic neutral" sounds like just another variant of Evil.

[NerdyKris]

Belkar key traits have already been established as being too quick to kill people and also that he is incapable of understanding the difference between "good" and "bad" killing (which in my mind means he's more psychotic neutral then evil). A theme established in previous comics is that once Belkar is rewarded for killing an evil thing, he must immediately screw up the goodwill by killing something good.

It was obvious that Belkar had to misread the shakedown and kill good people, what was not clear was how.

In what possible sense of the word is killing innocents not evil?

He's evil. He's stated he's evil, the Giant has stated he's evil, his character sheet says evil, and he's repeatedly been evil for the sake of evil. He's dabbled in slavery, tried to murder teammates, murdered a random passerby for a chocolate bar, murdered the Oracle before they could ask their questions, and tortures kobolds well beyond what can be considered payback. Oh, and in this story, he proceeded to shake down the town for protection money upon realizing he killed their guards.

He's evil, not neutral. Let me repeat, EVIL. with a capital E. This isn't poor misunderstood Belkar. This is a psychotic, evil little halfling who likes to kill things for fun.

[MoonCat]

In what possible sense of the word is killing innocents not evil?

He's evil. He's stated he's evil, the Giant has stated he's evil, his character sheet says evil, and he's repeatedly been evil for the sake of evil. He's dabbled in slavery, tried to murder teammates, murdered a random passerby for a chocolate bar, murdered the Oracle before they could ask their questions, and tortures kobolds well beyond what can be considered payback. Oh, and in this story, he proceeded to shake down the town for protection money upon realizing he killed their guards.

He's evil, not neutral. Let me repeat, EVIL. with a capital E. This isn't poor misunderstood Belkar. This is a psychotic, evil little halfling who likes to kill things for fun.

Agreed totally, but I have to point out, he only found the chocolate bar after looting the body of the random passerby he stabbed.

[SaintRidley]

In what possible sense of the word is killing innocents not evil?

He's evil. He's stated he's evil, the Giant has stated he's evil, his character sheet says evil, and he's repeatedly been evil for the sake of evil. He's dabbled in slavery, tried to murder teammates, murdered a random passerby for a chocolate bar, murdered the Oracle before they could ask their questions, and tortures kobolds well beyond what can be considered payback. Oh, and in this story, he proceeded to shake down the town for protection money upon realizing he killed their guards.

He's evil, not neutral. Let me repeat, EVIL. with a capital E. This isn't poor misunderstood Belkar. This is a psychotic, evil little halfling who likes to kill things for fun.


Not to pick nits, but Belkar is not EVIL with a capital E. He's EVIL with a capital EVIL.

Otherwise you're quite right, carry on, and so forth.

[Brown Mage]

In that little aside about insane neutrality I did mention that this seemed like neutrality to me, not the Giant, or in the OOTS world.

See Belkar was established as someone who can't tell the difference between right and wrong meets the legal definition of criminally insane. Belkar, if he really is someone who is incapable of moral reasoning fits this. Also, at least one description of Neutrality in an official D&D book included in it all "amoral" creatures, defined as those that did not reason morally.

Of course, in addition, Belkar does ENJOY killing, and is utterly selfish. But then that describes a lot of cats http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill

I can't seem to find the exact comic. He is somewhere chided for killing a good guy or rewarded for killing a bad guy and expresses confusion as to the difference. I don't mean this comic http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0539.html#539 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0539.html)

Here its debatable whether he genuinely doesn't see what the problem is.

[oball]

Is this the one? (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0687.html)

[Happy Me]

Great fun! Looking forward to the others!

I believed the shakedown opening and I think starting the story with other dangerous events helped frame that belief nicely. I too thought I figured out the twist, thought I figured it out again and was still delightfully surprised at the end!

Some thoughts on the comic.

I never thought he burned down the village instead of simple extortion. Among the other reasons (like Rich's post!), his loot would have all been different as he would have to have gathered it himself post-killing. It would be more random; not just a big chest stuffed full of clean, choice loot.

The nervous guy, who did not want to donate for unknown reasons, was being asked to donate by two high-status individuals. In public. That seems like it would cause stress in almost any society.

Anarion's post noting strip 58 was awesome.

[Cavenskull]

...The comic did do a nice job of giving Belkar a back story without humanizing him. Belkar was a slave. That's how he knew Buggy Lou and Buggy's pals...
I don't think this story really sets that up. Comic 685 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0685.html) establishes that Belkar was friends with one of the suppliers Buggy Lou bought slaves from. It wouldn't make sense for Belkar to be friends with people who were buying and selling him. Plus, in the story Belkar implies that he killed the slavers. The story does establish that Belkar wouldn't have had any qualms about associating with slavers even after being a slave himself, but I don't see Belkar's slavery as having anything to do with Buggy Lou.

[Conte_Vincero]

I found it more sad than funny for the greater part, but still nice. Couldn't expect anything else from a belkar without roy to control him.

By the way, at page 4 of the pdf file, there are a couple of boots of eldricht supremacy with something written on them. It really looks like a code, and I expect it to contain some random joke like the one when V accepted the soul splice. I don't want to take the effort of translating it, but I'd really appreciate if someone with more passion for eciphering codes did.

On it, they do seem to be genuine characters, not just your average gobbledegook, and they differ from boot to boot

[Yendor]

On it, they do seem to be genuine characters, not just your average gobbledegook, and they differ from boot to boot
It's a special font.

I LOVE BANANAS AND ALSO SECRET MESSAGES TOO (http://www.blambot.com/font_wizardspeak.shtml)

[Guy Incognito]

I sent the link to my friends on Steam and read it with them. I could TELL the moment when they reached the twist because they started laughing at the same time when they got to that page. It was great.

[jere7my]

I sent the link to my friends on Steam and read it with them. I could TELL the moment when they reached the twist because they started laughing at the same time when they got to that page. It was great.

Presumably these were friends who also backed the Kickstarter? Because this would be a pretty silly place to announce filesharing of Kickstarter rewards with people who didn't participate.

[factotum]

Particularly since the Giant specifically asked for people not to do that in the message he sent round about the PDF download...

[Guy Incognito]

Particularly since the Giant specifically asked for people not to do that in the message he sent round about the PDF download...

Oh, crap. I didn't realize that.

[Winter]

I sent the link to my friends on Steam and read it with them. I could TELL the moment when they reached the twist because they started laughing at the same time when they got to that page. It was great.

You are aware the author asked you not to do that, both in the message on kickstarter as well as in the .pdf itself? Because he has to pay for the bandwidth. Even if you do not send out the link again, what happens if your friends now send the link to other friends?

How you can support Rich on the KS and then blatantly ignore his explicit wishes is a bit beyond me.

edit: Sorry, posted this before your latest reply was there.

[Roland Itiative]

Whoa, how did I miss this topic for all of these days? Also, I should probably keep an eye on the email used for the Kickstarter account from now on :smalltongue:

[ThePhantasm]

Oh, crap. I didn't realize that.

He said it on the download link post, and on the actual PDF itself, which is clearly marked as copyright protected... plus, given that it is an exclusive reward for the Kickstarter donators, wouldn't it be safest to assume that it shouldn't be redistributed?

[Advance Strat..]

Clearly this is the best option at this point.

http://www.thereelbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/MIB3-001-285x280.jpg
Then you can watch their reactions again later!

[LuPuWei]

Belkar really is an evil little git :smallbiggrin:

[Gorm_the_DBA]

In what possible sense of the word is killing innocents not evil?

Collateral Damage happens.

Not *here* mind you, but in other places...

[Roland Itiative]

After seeing Durkon become a vampire, with his clothes going dark, I couldn't help but imagine Belkar's reaction if he had been the one to be turned, and his clothes turned grey/black (once more).

[Italian Hippy]

Belkar did not actually burn the town down. If he had, I would have shown smoking ruins or the like to make that clear.

Thanks for clearing that up, Giant. After reading the story, I was kinda wondering about whether my beloved sexy shoeless God of Death resorted to extortion or bloody murder to get all that gold :D

By the way, should you ever read this... I suppose I am allowed to print a copy of the story (on photo paper, no less!) and "make" my own booklet, right? I just like reading comics on paper, rather than on a screen :)

[Jokunen]

Are these comics going to ever be released for anybody else than the backers? I'm asking because I haven't been reading OOTS for a couple of years, but I have now read most of the comics that have been released since then, and would have participated in the Kickstarter if it was still open.

[Porthos]

Are these comics going to ever be released for anybody else than the backers? I'm asking because I haven't been reading OOTS for a couple of years, but I have now read most of the comics that have been released since then, and would have participated in the Kickstarter if it was still open.

From the very first post in this thread. :smalltongue:

These stories will be available in print someday for everyone else who didn't back, so if you don't have them now and you think you're likely to buy the book in which they appear...don't read any further!

[Sir_Leorik]

Belkar key traits have already been established as being too quick to kill people and also that he is incapable of understanding the difference between "good" and "bad" killing (which in my mind means he's more psychotic neutral then evil). A theme established in previous comics is that once Belkar is rewarded for killing an evil thing, he must immediately screw up the goodwill by killing something good.

It was obvious that Belkar had to misread the shakedown and kill good people, what was not clear was how.

Belkar, Thog and Crystal are all stupid and Chaotic Evil characters, but they differ in certain respects. Thog is the stupidest of the three; he can't even string together complete sentences without referring to himself in the third person. (Compare his speech pattern to Therkla, a Half-Orc with a very respectable Intelligence score.) Thog is child-like, but prone to acts of brutal violence, which Nale and Sabine encourage.

Crystal is slightly more intelligent than Thog, but still dumber than Belkar. Bozzok does all of Crystal's thinking for her, aiming her at targets like a trained attack dog. Crystal is a remorseless killer, but without Bozzok to keep her in line she'd probably incur the wrath of the Rogues in the Thieve's Guild, almost all of whom can run circles around her.

Then there's Belkar. Belkar is cunning and his grasp of Common exceeds Elan's. But he is ignorant of basic social conventions and seems annoyed that he has to obey basic laws against arson, homicide or jaywalking. A more clever psychopath would know when to go on a killing spree and when to lay low. Belkar is cunning, not clever. He leaps without looking. And like an AD&D 2E Thief, he believes the world and everyone in it owes him a living. The net result is that Belkar, prior to his epiphany in Greysky City, was out of control. Roy managed to reign him in, especially after Shojo's Clerics put the Mark of Justice on Belkar, but after Roy died all bets were off, as Solt Lurkyurg learned to his eternal regret. (Too bad you have to wake up pretty early in the morning to pull one over on the Oracle of Sunken Valley.) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0568.html) A smarter crook would have asked questions, not leapt to conclusions. (Of course if Belkar had asked questions, he might have tried to blackmail and/or murder them anyway, just in a different, hilarious way.)

[Sir_Leorik]

I don't think this story really sets that up. Comic 685 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0685.html) establishes that Belkar was friends with one of the suppliers Buggy Lou bought slaves from. It wouldn't make sense for Belkar to be friends with people who were buying and selling him. Plus, in the story Belkar implies that he killed the slavers. The story does establish that Belkar wouldn't have had any qualms about associating with slavers even after being a slave himself, but I don't see Belkar's slavery as having anything to do with Buggy Lou.

Hmm, maybe Belkar decided to use the extortion money he got in this story to go into business with Buggy Lou's supplier?

[Porthos]

Hmm, maybe Belkar decided to use the extortion money he got in this story to go into business with Buggy Lou's supplier?

Well he does say he admired the business model. Perhaps he decided to do some investing. :smallwink:

[Romanes eunt do]

Enchanted Leprechaun. :biggrin:

:belkar: You stab-happy little psychopath.

Page 8, Panel 5: You're welcome, Giant. :smallsmile:

[Flame of Anor]

It's a special font.

I LOVE BANANAS AND ALSO SECRET MESSAGES TOO (http://www.blambot.com/font_wizardspeak.shtml)

Wow, that's amazing.

[Gift Jeraff]

I was thinking after Buggy Lou went to the Western Continent and the other guy got tagged, no one else in the local slave trade liked Belkar and thus he became a victim of it.

[entraha]

i either didn't look carefully enough to see, or am the only one (with an account and time to post) who saw and loved the breaking bad reference.

good one, giant :D

[Vinsfeld]

I sent the link to my friends on Steam and read it with them. I could TELL the moment when they reached the twist because they started laughing at the same time when they got to that page. It was great.

That's great, man. Now you have to run and tell them not to spread the link any further, so to minimize your mistake.

[Agnostik]

i either didn't look carefully enough to see, or am the only one (with an account and time to post) who saw and loved the breaking bad reference.
Huh? What reference?

[Happy Me]

Huh? What reference?

I assume the BB reference is on Page 4 "Baking is complex chemical..."

[Agnostik]

Hrrm*, could be. Not sure it is a Breaking Bad reference, to be honest.

*Yes, I picked up the habit of saying that from Malack.

[allenw]

Hrrm*, could be.
*Yes, I picked up the habit of saying that from Malack.

Hrrm. I picked up the same habit from Rorschach.

[Olinser]

O-Chul will be in "bluescale," or monochrome blue. Think black-and-white, but with shades of blue instead of shades of grey. Therkla's story will probably be the same way, since she's from Azure City too. If you want to see what it looks like, check out the cover image I used for O-Chul's story during the Kickstarter.

The other prequel stories (C.P.P.D and Sir Francois & the Dragon), the StickTales (Haleo and Julelan), and Julio Scoundrél will be in black-and-white, to match the existing stories of the same group from Snips, Snails, and Dragon Tales. Dim Sun will be in full color.

Maybe somebody already asked and answered this, but who is C.P.P.D?

[Gift Jeraff]

Cliffport Police Department.

[Olinser]

Cliffport Police Department.

Ah got it, thanks.

[Starwaster]

In what possible sense of the word is killing innocents not evil?

He's evil. He's stated he's evil, the Giant has stated he's evil, his character sheet says evil, and he's repeatedly been evil for the sake of evil. He's dabbled in slavery, tried to murder teammates, murdered a random passerby for a chocolate bar, murdered the Oracle before they could ask their questions, and tortures kobolds well beyond what can be considered payback. Oh, and in this story, he proceeded to shake down the town for protection money upon realizing he killed their guards.

He's evil, not neutral. Let me repeat, EVIL. with a capital E. This isn't poor misunderstood Belkar. This is a psychotic, evil little halfling who likes to kill things for fun.

Please forgive me for this bit of necroposting, but I only just saw this and had to throw in my 2 CP...

Let's also not forget the fact that his 'conscience' doesn't consist of a devil and an angel as is usually traditionally depicted. Instead he has two devils and a slaad.... And you don't want the slaad to come out.

The angel.... doesn't work here anymore. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0435.html)

[SteveMB]

Also chiming in a bit late; I'd been a bit busy to keep up with the forum and dropped out for a while.

One angle that occurs to me is how nicely the "escaped from slavery" backstory averts the risk (mentioned by Rich in the notes of one of the books, IIRC) of making Belkar seem tragic rather than comically evil -- between the "execution" of the slavers and the suspicion (based on what we know of Belkar) that he got himself into that predicament by choosing to tangle with the wrong people rather than as an utterly innocent victim.

[Morty]

Also, he sees nothing wrong with slavery provided he's not the one being enslaved.

[Reddish Mage]

Also chiming in a bit late; I'd been a bit busy to keep up with the forum and dropped out for a while.

One angle that occurs to me is how nicely the "escaped from slavery" backstory averts the risk (mentioned by Rich in the notes of one of the books, IIRC) of making Belkar seem tragic rather than comically evil -- between the "execution" of the slavers and the suspicion (based on what we know of Belkar) that he got himself into that predicament by choosing to tangle with the wrong people rather than as an utterly innocent victim.

As I see it, the Giant sidestepped the problem by writing a story of Belkar as we know him (minus the clothes) rather than an origin story.

[SaintRidley]

As I see it, the Giant sidestepped the problem by writing a story of Belkar as we know him (minus the clothes) rather than an origin story.

In a way, it kind of is an origin story. The origin of Belkar's decision to become an adventurer.

Also the origin of his clothes.

Two origin stories.

[Reddish Mage]

In a way, it kind of is an origin story. The origin of Belkar's decision to become an adventurer.

Also the origin of his clothes.

Two origin stories.

Belkar decides at the end that adventuring is stupid. We learn the all important fact that his clothes are made of 49 shades of grey. But the apparel isn't terribly important to Belkar's identity I think an origin story is meant to explain how a character got into the circumstances we find them in, where they got their abilities, problems, background, peculiarities, etc. This event provides us with no explanation as to how Belkar became a psychopathic sadist, or a ranger w/o key abilities. It merely shows an earlier and unconnected experiment in "being an adventurer."

We will never get an origin story of the mentally disturbed side of the equation because Rich explained in OTOoPCs it would make Belkar's behavior seem more tragic than funny.

It doesn't have to, Belkar could be born that way, or start by comical misunderstandings of the sort we see here. Say he heard the zen Buddhist koan "When you see Buddha on the road kill him" and started seeking the Buddha out. I think Rich isn't taking this way because Belkar is turning out to be more three dimensional.

[The MunchKING]

Heh. 49th shade of grey is tied up. I c wat u did thar.

Oh wow... I totally missed the gag there...

Just goes to show The Giant is better at throwing them out than the MunchKING is at getting them.

[Sunken Valley]

Oh wow... I totally missed the gag there...


Fixed it for you!

Who is betting Malack and Tarquin will be their Wedding uniforms in Haleo and Juelan

[Tathum]

Is this where we can come to ask about the 'Monster for Every Season' PDF's?

[factotum]

Is this where we can come to ask about the 'Monster for Every Season' PDF's?

Ask what, exactly? If it's anything along the lines of "Why hasn't the next one been released yet?" then I imagine that would be frowned upon, in the same way that questions about the schedule of the main strip are.

[ChristianSt]

Is this where we can come to ask about the 'Monster for Every Season' PDF's?

From reading the first post of this thread, that is not on topic. This thread is about the Kickstarter pdf stories:


...
Some rules for this thread:
...
Discussion of the Kickstarter itself and the progress being made on future stories should stay on the existing Kickstarter thread. This is for talking about the stories themselves after they've been released....

So the right thread for you is probably The Post-Kickstarter Discussion Thread: Bask in the Afterglow (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233766), but without knowing your questions, that is hard to answer.

[Shale]

I get to work, sit down at my desk ready to be drearily productive for eight hours, and the first thing I see is an e-mail that there's a 25-page(!!!) OOTS story for me to read!

Rich is the best. Although I'm not sure my boss agrees.

[Just Joseph]

Alas, the password provided for the Haleo & Julelan zip archive is not working for me.

EDIT: he has posted a correct password on the kickstarter site.

[Dr. Gamera]

Awesome. Have only read through once so far, though.

On page 19, "since your marrying" should be "since you're marrying".

[CoffeeIncluded]

Hey, this is dumb, but how do you open the zip file with the password? Can you do it on iPhone?

[t209]

I kinda saw Haley's tatoo on her back during their "love making" scene. Wow, D&D rules do make a difference in Shakespeare universe. I kinda wonder how it would work in Othello (Pillow for Celia).

[The Giant]

You probably can't do it on an iPhone with the basic system, but I'm sure there are unarchiving apps that can be acquired.

Also, as noted, the original password was incorrect, the new password can be found in Update #62.

Finally, we've been seeing people with Mac OSX 10.6.8 being unable to open it even with the right password. The following workaround works:

1.) Open Terminal.
2.) Type "unzip " without the quotes but WITH the space after.
3.) Drag the zip file into the Terminal window.
4.) Hit Return.

[Beacon of Chaos]

Just finished reading Haleo and Julelan.

It. Was. HILARIOUS! I think the random M:tG reference got me laughing the loudest. :smallbiggrin:

Awesome work, Giant!

[SlyJohnny]

Hehehe. "Why are my tiny people fighting?? Do not fight, tiny people!"

I love the Empress of Blood.

[CoffeeIncluded]

You probably can't do it on an iPhone with the basic system, but I'm sure there are unarchiving apps that can be acquired.

Also, as noted, the original password was incorrect, the new password can be found in Update #62.

Finally, we've been seeing people with Mac OSX 10.6.8 being unable to open it even with the right password. The following workaround works:

Damn it. Thanks anyway. Looks like I'll have to wait a few hours until I get home.

[Shale]

Android also seems to have issues with the zip - my tablet didn't even ask me for a password, it just showed me an empty archive and then spat out an error message when I hit "extract."

[FlawedParadigm]

I depressed myself by getting all of Tarquin's "outdated" musical references. Also, the casting was excellent. I'm probably missing a few visual jokes from the dance panel too. I think that robot was the one from OotPCs that tried to join?

I can't decide what was funniest; the pervy moon, the dead 4th edition reference, the Magic reference, or the issue of "Seventeenth Century" with extended metaphors as the hot new way of flirting.

EDIT: Also, it was nice to bask in seeing Nale dead for a bit, even in an alternate continuity outside the main story. Wrapping up Act 2 in far less space than the original was great too. Oh, and the running joke about no one knowing Tarquin's family surname. (There must be a reason that we don't know it but I can't imagine what it is. I can't think they'd be related to any of the other major characters unless I missed something.)

Basically, this was a big pile of awesome.

[The Giant]

Android also seems to have issues with the zip - my tablet didn't even ask me for a password, it just showed me an empty archive and then spat out an error message when I hit "extract."

No one else has reported that one, and I don't have any Android gadgets, so I can't really be of much help. I would recommend trying a third party un-archiving app, if you can find one that's free. Alternately, you could move it to a full computer, unzip it, and then move it back.

If anyone else reports a problem and then a fix to it, I'll let you know. If it goes a day or two and you just can't get it open no matter what you try, PM me your email and I'll use an alternate method.

[Shale]

Yeah, I ended up just unzipping it on my work PC. So if it was just a one-off error, no big deal.

[Throknor]

I downloaded it on my work computer, unzipped it, emailed it to myself, and opened it on my iPad from the email. Might help others at work - but be careful if you're IT are more paranoid than mine!

Fun story. A little surprised by the ending;
could have had them both die and done some kind of start of a new plot in the afterlife. Loved the thumb bite part; it's a great example of what is a horrible insult depends entirely on the time and place. Also loved the random cameos, especially in the market. And Tarquin's song dropping? Hilarious.

(Though I have to admit I completely missed the Julelan part and was expecting Julio. :smallredface:)

[sam79]

As a big fan of Romeo and Juliet, who was slightly nervous about how this adaptation would go, I've got to say...Haleo and Julelan is just awesome. Really, really good. So many nice details, so many great jokes, so many wonderful lines. My favourite? V wearing a V mask at the ball. Love it. And the market scene was great too. Banjo as the nurse? Creepily effective. Can't wait to read it again and see more things that I missed first time round.

Really good work, and well worth the wait. Thank you.

Felt proud of getting all Tarquin's lyric quotes, right up until they were described as outdated. Burn.

Also; does anyone else really want to see full StickTales versions of the stories referred to in the introduction?

[Purgatorius]

I just read through Haleo and Julelan. It was great!!
:smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:
But for some reason I couldn't stop trying to read it in pentameter. It didn't fit all of the time. :smallsmile:

[Purgatorius]

So many nice details, so many great jokes, so many wonderful lines. My favourite? V wearing a V mask at the ball. Love it.

No! I can't believe I missed that one! That's a great one!

But I did spot that someone dared dress up as a glass shard on the party. :smallsmile:

[Zeb]

So much reference, and win, lots of win.:smallbiggrin:

[Yana]

I think the best sight gag in the entire comic was Vaarsuvius during the ball... dressed as V.

[SavageWombat]

Anyone who claimed they saw this story coming from the title is a filthy liar.

[Zea mays]

That was soooooo awesome.

Also, the Ice King comes to Tarquins parties?
Whoa.

[Estelindis]

Fantastic. Saved by D&D rules! :smallbiggrin:

My favourite moment might have been Haley seeing Elan in the pineapple suit. Also, the Empress Princess is hilarious.

[SarahV]

Also; does anyone else really want to see full StickTales versions of the stories referred to in the introduction?

Yes, yes, yes. :smallbiggrin: That's exactly what I was thinking at the end of the first page. Maybe there will be a SSADT sequel called, eh, Staves, Rocks and Dragon Pox or something.

Loved the story. Really high-quality stuff. :)

[Agnostik]

On behalf of all MTG junkies, I'd like to thank Rich for that exile joke.

[tassaron]

The entire masquerade scene had me in stitches. Tarquin's musical references, the pineapple, the mustachioed moon right after... This was a great story for comedy. :smallbiggrin:

[Jay R]

I loved seeing Nale in a Bizarro costume. It was my second time through before I recognized the joke. He's dressed as a twisted mockery of a twin of the hero.

[Nazzo, the 102nd]

Oh, the cameos in the very first panel of the StickTale.


Lien is selling fish. FISH (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0672.html).
Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Jones out of the "First, Kill Hug All Lawyers."
Inkyrius running a bakery (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0630.html), of course.
Fruit Pie the Sorcerer selling... well, fruits.
And the dirt farmers selling... well, dirt.


Well played. So many references... And to the current events of the main comic also (I think). Which makes me think of the timing of this great release.

Great job Rich. Makes me very happy to be a backer, and even more willing to give you my money for your amazing work, meaning that when Book 5 is out, no matter the size and price, I'll just have to buy it. :smallbiggrin:

[Tock Zipporah]

Oh, the cameos in the very first panel of the StickTale.


Lien is selling fish. FISH (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0672.html).
Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Jones out of the "First, Kill Hug All Lawyers."
Inkyrius running a bakery (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0630.html), of course.
Fruit Pie the Sorcerer selling... well, fruits.
And the dirt farmers selling... well, dirt.


Well played. So many references... And to the current events of the main comic also (I think). Which makes me think of the timing of this great release.

Great job Rich. Makes me very happy to be a backer, and even more willing to give you my money for your amazing work, meaning that when Book 5 is out, no matter the size and price, I'll just have to buy it. :smallbiggrin:

Dirt Farmers!!!!!!

(That is all. I'll go away now.)

[SaintRidley]

So... typo in Act 3 scene 1? "My tum-tim knows no flags." And pretty sure in 4.2 it's supposed to be "rain death upon our enemies."

Otherwise, so awesome.

[Daracaex]

Am I the only one who kinda wished the whole thing was written in iambic pentameter? :smalltongue:

In any case, it was awesome. I was chuckling to outright laughing out loud through the whole thing.

[RMS Oceanic]

I wonder which Kobold was dressed as Zorro. I think it was Yokyok?

Oh well, great times. I liked how Tarquin was completely off the mark about what kind of story it was.

[Porthos]

I've only gotten most of the way through Act 1, but I lost it at

FUNKYTOWN :smallcool: :smallcool:

And, really that whole ball scene.

....


FUNKYTOWN :smallcool: :smallcool:

I think I'm gonna be saying that all day now.

....

I'd ask just how you come up with the stuff, but I'm not sure I want to know. :smalleek: :smallbiggrin:

[Kurald Galain]

LOL to V wearing a V mask!

[Nazzo, the 102nd]

Also, Roy Valroy. Brilliant. :smallbiggrin:

[RMS Oceanic]

Also, Roy Valroy. Brilliant. :smallbiggrin:

On that note, the apathetic Xavert. :smallbiggrin:

Also it was a nice touch nobody had X's in their eyes. You remember this is a play that way.

[Tock Zipporah]

LOL to V wearing a V mask!

Oh damn! I totally missed that! STEALTH EPIC PUN!

[Porthos]

Finished it.

Awesome.

Loved the fact that Elan totally listened to Haley's demand about Roy. :smallsmile:

[FlawedParadigm]

Finished it.

Awesome.

Loved the fact that Elan totally listened to Haley's demand about Roy. :smallsmile:

I almost hate to say this but I'm pretty sure I'd listen to demands from Haley too. :smalltongue:

[Gift Jeraff]

The wight gag got me. And Nale's costume being Bizarro. As well as V's V mask.

And it sure was great to see V dead, even if there were no X's in the eyes.

[Armitage]

Android also seems to have issues with the zip - my tablet didn't even ask me for a password, it just showed me an empty archive and then spat out an error message when I hit "extract."
I didn't have any problems on my Android phone with the built in archiver.

[Sunken Valley]

How come all the character's don't have X's in their eyes in this play but in the Hamlet parody they got proper X's?

I assume this was to preserve the final joke but is there another reason?

[ThePhantasm]

Wow, this PDF was fantastic! So much to discuss, so many references, and just about every panel was funny. Really loved Tarquin's lines in particular. :smallcool:

[Nazzo, the 102nd]

There are the characters on the ball panel, from back to front, left to right. I have not listed the Imperial Soldiers.

Please help me fill in the blanks:

Gourntonk, Amun-Zora, Wanda Firebaugh (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erfcast.html), Stanley the Tool (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erfcast.html);
Kilkil, Z, Mr. Jones, Leeky Windstaff, Xykon (as Skeletor!);
Someone dressed as the Ice King, Crystal, Mr. Rodriguez, __, Robot from OtOoPCs, Team Tarquin's SPG, __;
Yokyok, Hilgya, Thog, Shadowdancer, Samantha, Enor (half off-panel);
Ioun Stone Lady, Pompey, Team Tarquin's Catgirl, Kaboom Redaxe, Hank, Celia, V;
Malack (face hidden), Miron, Yikyik, Empire's Arena Wizard, Gannji.

[Peelee]

I think my favorite part was V being the ultimate smartass to Nale. Dude just couldn't get a line off without it being torn apart by V.

Also, I was really loving Tarquin's dialogue. Only time in the comic I wished there was more of him.

[SarahV]

Gourntonk, Amun-Zora, __, __;
Kilkil, Z, Mr. Jones, Leeky Windstaff, Xykon (as Skeletor!);
A shard of glass, Crystal, Mr. Rodriguez, __, Robot from OtOoPCs, __, __;
Yokyok, Hilgya, Thog, Azurite Burglar, __, Enor (half off-panel);
Ioun Stone Lady, Pompey, Tiger Lady(?), Hilgya's Husband, Hank, Celia, V;
Malack, Miron, Yikyik, __, Gannji.

The guy to the lower left of Xykon is one of Tarquin's old adventuring buddies. Seen here: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0758.html

[Porthos]

I just noticed Phil Rodriguez's dance partner. Nice touch. :smallcool:

[Nazzo, the 102nd]

I just noticed Phil Rodriguez's dance partner. Nice touch. :smallcool:

Did you notice them making out in the next page? :smalltongue:

[Porthos]

Did you notice them making out in the next page? :smalltongue:

Yes I did. :smallbiggrin:

[sam79]

I know it expanded in the telling and probably involved some stress in getting it out, but it really looks like our author was having so much fun writing this story. Respectful but not reverential to the source material (SO nice to see a decent answer to the "what satisfaction canst thou have tonight?" come-on), stuffed with a whole ton of in-jokes and shout-outs that nevertheless don't derail or distract from the main plot, and a more light-hearted script and story than has been the fare in the main comic of late.

Mr. Burlew, I really hope that you enjoyed writing this as much as we've all enjoyed reading it.

[Purgatorius]

There are the characters on the ball panel, from back to front, left to right. I have not listed the Imperial Soldiers.

Please help me fill in the blanks:

Gourntonk, Amun-Zora, (1), (2);
Kilkil, Z, Mr. Jones, Leeky Windstaff, Xykon (as Skeletor!);
A shard of glass, Crystal, Mr. Rodriguez, (3), Robot from OtOoPCs, (4), (5);
Yokyok, Hilgya, Thog, Azurite Burglar, (6), Enor (half off-panel);
Ioun Stone Lady, Pompey, Tiger Lady(?), Hilgya's Husband, Hank, Celia, V;
Malack, Miron, Yikyik, (7), Gannji.

I don't know who number 3 is, but it could simply be a reference to mr Rodriguez' comment "I am a very generous lover" in 734 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0734.html)
Number 4 is "Shoulder pad guy" from Tarquin's and Malack's old advenuring group.
Number 5. No idea. Do we know of anyone with a navel piercing? The only one I found is in 676 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0676.html), but she has the wrong hair colour.
Number 7. Looks like the sound technician wizard from the arena. 776 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0776.html).

Furthermore, I think the ones you have called "Azurite burglar" and "Hilgya's husband" are actually the assassins from the "Weary travelers inn and tavern", 225 and following (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0225.html).

[Purgatorius]

Furthermore, I think the ones you have called "Azurite burglar" and "Hilgya's husband" are actually the assassins from the "Weary travelers inn and tavern", 225 and following (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0225.html).

On the other hand, I think actually is the azurite burglar on the following page, trying to hit on Haleo just like in 425 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0425.html).

[Gift Jeraff]

Yeah, there were a lot of cameos. I tried (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15828612&postcount=199) compiling them for the Character Appearances thread, if anyone wants to go point out anything I missed.

[Peelee]

On the other hand, I think actually is the azurite burglar on the following page, trying to hit on Haleo just like in 425 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0425.html).

Noooooo! I thought I recognized him hitting on Haley from somewhere, and dug up On the Origin of PCs to see if it was the guy who hit on her in the bar. Coulda sworn it was him, was wrong, and figured I was totally off base. Kudos to you, sir. And rage.

[Peelee]

I just noticed Phil Rodriguez's dance partner. Nice touch. :smallcool:


Did you notice them making out in the next page? :smalltongue:


Yes I did. :smallbiggrin:

Also, Jones is looking (seemingly) at Rodriguez with...consternation? Annoyance? Jealousy? This greatly strengthens my theory that they are gay. If that's correct, and they are a couple, I like that they work together.

[SavageWombat]

Is that Skeletor, or Xykon dressed as Skeletor?

Curse you black and white artwork!

[JoseB]

Personally, I laughed like a loon with the last panel of the story. Massive chase with echoes of the "keystone kops". I was giggling like an idiot for minutes XD

Also, for some reason, I found hilarious the face of Haley when she drinks the poison :) And when Elan is trying to see if there is any poison available left in her mouth... XD XD XD

[factotum]

Loved it! Bit odd to see dead people without Xs in their eyes, but I suppose that would have spoiled the final reveal somewhat...

[Totally Guy]

Gourntonk, Amun-Zora, __, __;
Kilkil, Z, Mr. Jones, Leeky Windstaff, Xykon (as Skeletor!);
A shard of glass, Crystal, Mr. Rodriguez, __, Robot from OtOoPCs, Team Tarquin's SPG, __;
Yokyok, Hilgya, Thog, Shadowdancer, __, Enor (half off-panel);
Ioun Stone Lady, Pompey, Team Tarquin's Catgirl, Kaboom Redaxe, Hank, Celia, V;
Malack (face hidden), Miron, Yikyik, Empire's Arena Wizard, Gannji.

That shard of glass is the Ice King (http://youtu.be/VuOyevecgyg?t=31s).

Looks like V is a Guy.:smalltongue:

[The Troubadour]

Loved "Haleo & Julelan"! Out of all the StickTales so far, it's my favourite!

[Porthos]

How come all the character's don't have X's in their eyes in this play but in the Hamlet parody they got proper X's?

I assume this was to preserve the final joke but is there another reason?

Roy, being a gritty fighter, pays attention to such detail in a tragedy.

Elan, being the hopeless romantic, couldn't bear to have such a thing in happen in a love story. :smallwink: