What the Giant Has Telegraphed

[Dr. Gamera]

Disclaimers: Rich knows his world much better than I do. Rich is an excellent storyteller. Rich has proven many times that he can give us both completely unexpected twists and twists that we should have expected (but didn't). Rich could tell a great story here either by fulfilling expectations or by subverting them. There are many predictions hidden in the following spoiler tag, including a rather presumptuous guess at part of Rich's commentary in the next comic collection, and I believe that I make reference to prequel-only content. I am perfectly capable of having missed something important in OOTS.

Some non-spoiler content: I am unlikely to return to academia and do a thesis about webcomics, so I offer you this free idea for a thesis topic: Misunderstood Prophecies in OOTS. Rich makes "you shall go you shall return never in war shall you perish" look like child's play.

Here is what I perceive as the narrative structure that Rich has laid the groundwork for through OOTS #876 (Ensnared).

Vaarsuvius returns in OOTS #877!

He is about to save Durkon...

..but one or more of Lee, Nero, and Cedrik from the IFCC cash in some (but not all!) of Vaarsuvius's soul debt to prevent him from doing so.

Durkon: dead, destined to rise as a vampire.

(Note: I still don't want Durkon to die, but I think I see where this is going.)

Belkar: dead, either just plain dead or also destined to rise as a vampire.

Vaarsuvius: I should know what Rich has telegraphed here, but I can't quite work it out. Even more conflicted? Goes into endless research to find a way to make the remaining soul debt worthless to the IFCC, or maybe figures it out without endless research? A magic ring that instantly transforms an evil wearer to stone, but a good or neutral wearer back to flesh?

Conflict at Kraagor's gate: not clear to me, but it gets destroyed somehow. Which makes the IFCC happy.

On to Serini's gate. Roy, Haley, Elan, and Vaarsuvius take along Durkon's body, planning to ask the high priest of Thor to resurrect him, or perhaps to bury him next to his ancestors, as Durkon misunderstood his prophecy from the Oracle. This turns out not to go well when Durkon rises as a vampire, bringing destruction as prophesied. (Or maybe it's just Malack and his merry band of vampires traveling there by themselves.) Vampire Durkon is just as bad in undeath as Durkon was good in life, so he becomes another antagonist.

Commentary in the next comic collection -- which will work Blood into its title somehow, and have either Tarquin or Malack as its cover background -- will include Rich pointing out that a cleric who can cast Resurrection was okay for Roy's death, but disrupts narrative tension in the long run. (Oh, Haley died? Give Durkon ten minutes and he'll take care of that.) So Durkon had to go.

[Bird]

I hadn't thought about the IFCC cashing in their V chips a few at a time. Cool idea. That could create interesting conflict -- if Roy & the others deal with V evil-ing out for a while, and then have to decide how to procede with him/her from there.

You seem to imply that Serini and Kraagor's gates are different places.They're the same gate. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0277.html)

[Finagle]

You know, for someone who knows the author well enough be on a first-name basis, you seem blissfully unaware that he hates it when people try to predict him. If you actually managed to randomly come up with what he was going to do next, he'd change it just to be contrary. I certainly hope you didn't ruin any good story ideas for the rest of us by predicting guessing randomly choosing them.

[Sunken Valley]

You know, for someone who knows the author well enough be on a first-name basis, you seem blissfully unaware that he hates it when people try to predict him. If you actually managed to randomly come up with what he was going to do next, he'd change it just to be contrary. I certainly hope you didn't ruin any good story ideas for the rest of us by predicting guessing randomly choosing them.

Not true. The fan base is so big and so likely for at least one person to guess he doesn't care anymore.

[Petey7]

You know, for someone who knows the author well enough be on a first-name basis, you seem blissfully unaware that he hates it when people try to predict him. If you actually managed to randomly come up with what he was going to do next, he'd change it just to be contrary. I certainly hope you didn't ruin any good story ideas for the rest of us by predicting guessing randomly choosing them.

In addition to what Sunken Valley said, he has stated on numerous occasions that he has had most of the plot planned for years and does not let anyone else influence it. If someone did guess it, oh well, it happens. For example, in the DVD commentary of Red vs. Blue, the creators mention that they get emailed plot ideas all the time and a couple days before Season 3 started to air one person sent basically the entire plot they had already written for that season. Besides, not trying to insult the OP, but aside from his last paragraph, I have seen every prediction he has listed in at least two other threads before.

[Dr. Gamera]

You seem to imply that Serini and Kraagor's gates are different places.They're the same gate. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0277.html)

Sorry, I omitted the disclaimer "Dr. Gamera was mildly inebriated when writing this." For Kraagor, read Girard.

[Dr. Gamera]

You know, for someone who knows the author well enough be on a first-name basis [...]

I did not intend to offend by writing "Rich". Please read "The Giant" everywhere I wrote "Rich".

[Dr. Gamera]

Besides, not trying to insult the OP, but aside from his last paragraph, I have seen every prediction he has listed in at least two other threads before.

Yes! Yes! My post was largely intend to encapsulate the foreshadowing that many readers have identified.

[Bulldog Psion]

I did not intend to offend by writing "Rich". Please read "The Giant" everywhere I wrote "Rich".

So far as I know, things are fairly relaxed around here and many people use "Rich" as an alternative to "The Giant". Myself, I prefer Mr. Burlew, but I don't think there's any reason for you to apologize. :smallsmile:

[Olinser]

Disclaimers: Rich knows his world much better than I do. Rich is an excellent storyteller. Rich has proven many times that he can give us both completely unexpected twists and twists that we should have expected (but didn't). Rich could tell a great story here either by fulfilling expectations or by subverting them. There are many predictions hidden in the following spoiler tag, including a rather presumptuous guess at part of Rich's commentary in the next comic collection, and I believe that I make reference to prequel-only content. I am perfectly capable of having missed something important in OOTS.

Some non-spoiler content: I am unlikely to return to academia and do a thesis about webcomics, so I offer you this free idea for a thesis topic: Misunderstood Prophecies in OOTS. Rich makes "you shall go you shall return never in war shall you perish" look like child's play.

Here is what I perceive as the narrative structure that Rich has laid the groundwork for through OOTS #876 (Ensnared).

Vaarsuvius returns in OOTS #877!

He is about to save Durkon...

..but one or more of Lee, Nero, and Cedrik from the IFCC cash in some (but not all!) of Vaarsuvius's soul debt to prevent him from doing so.

Durkon: dead, destined to rise as a vampire.

(Note: I still don't want Durkon to die, but I think I see where this is going.)

Belkar: dead, either just plain dead or also destined to rise as a vampire.

Vaarsuvius: I should know what Rich has telegraphed here, but I can't quite work it out. Even more conflicted? Goes into endless research to find a way to make the remaining soul debt worthless to the IFCC, or maybe figures it out without endless research? A magic ring that instantly transforms an evil wearer to stone, but a good or neutral wearer back to flesh?

Conflict at Kraagor's gate: not clear to me, but it gets destroyed somehow. Which makes the IFCC happy.

On to Serini's gate. Roy, Haley, Elan, and Vaarsuvius take along Durkon's body, planning to ask the high priest of Thor to resurrect him, or perhaps to bury him next to his ancestors, as Durkon misunderstood his prophecy from the Oracle. This turns out not to go well when Durkon rises as a vampire, bringing destruction as prophesied. (Or maybe it's just Malack and his merry band of vampires traveling there by themselves.) Vampire Durkon is just as bad in undeath as Durkon was good in life, so he becomes another antagonist.

Commentary in the next comic collection -- which will work Blood into its title somehow, and have either Tarquin or Malack as its cover background -- will include Rich pointing out that a cleric who can cast Resurrection was okay for Roy's death, but disrupts narrative tension in the long run. (Oh, Haley died? Give Durkon ten minutes and he'll take care of that.) So Durkon had to go.


Serini's gate IS Kraagor's gate - if Girard's gate blows, it's the last one left.

[ThePhantasm]

You know, for someone who knows the author well enough be on a first-name basis, you seem blissfully unaware that he hates it when people try to predict him. If you actually managed to randomly come up with what he was going to do next, he'd change it just to be contrary. I certainly hope you didn't ruin any good story ideas for the rest of us by predicting guessing randomly choosing them.

1) Almost everyone here refers to the Giant as Rich now and then. If he is offended by that, he has never mentioned it before.

2) Predicting stuff and speculating about what will happen next is what you do in a discussion forum. And the Giant is okay with that. No, he is not going to change any story elements based on a forumgoers predictions. You are wrong, and what the OP said is perfectly fine.


The community has gotten so big and so diverse that someone is going to guess everything at sometime, and I couldn't possibly read it all anyway. Also, I've just sort of gotten over it....

I have never altered the plot based on anyone guessing it, no matter what people want to think. What happens is that I feel an urge to change it, and then have to fight that urge. It mildly annoys me for the rest of the day, especially if it's something that's supposed to be a big secret. But the poorly-worded FAQ entry, in an attempt to keep people from claiming that I used their ideas, instead fostered this notion that I cannot bear for anything I write to anything less than 100% unique and unexpected.

[mawexzon]

I don't like at all the idea of V returning to save Durkon, for all we know, s/he is currently on the caverns under the pyramid, pretty far from the room where Durkon, Malack and Belkar are, aside from the fact that there is such a thing as too much twists in a short time.

[ReaderAt2046]

I don't like at all the idea of V returning to save Durkon, for all we know, s/he is currently on the caverns under the pyramid, pretty far from the room where Durkon, Malack and Belkar are, aside from the fact that there is such a thing as too much twists in a short time.

But I think that's sort of the point of the nine-strips-in-nine-days burst, to allow a whirlwind of crazy plot twists.

[mawexzon]

But I think that's sort of the point of the nine-strips-in-nine-days burst, to allow a whirlwind of crazy plot twists.

That's how it starts, crazy plot twists everywhere, and before you notice, you get a Gainax Ending.

[Nohar]

I think it's probably safe to say the comic won't end with a Gainax Ending.

Though, we probably should consider the possibility that a "Book end" is nearby, with a downer ending, like with the Azure City arc. Roy's death was an hard blow to the OOTS, but Durkon's eventual vampirisation could actually be worse. Oh well, at least the party won't be split this time...

... Wait. Belkar is going to die too, as it was prophecized. So, the party won't be split, but they're going to miss not one but 2 members (assuming Belkar don't stay on the OOTS's side as a golem or whatever creature/form that doesn't require him to breath).

... Ok, I'm actually worried now.

[Cizak]

You know, for someone who knows the author well enough be on a first-name basis, you seem blissfully unaware that he hates it when people try to predict him. If you actually managed to randomly come up with what he was going to do next, he'd change it just to be contrary. I certainly hope you didn't ruin any good story ideas for the rest of us by predicting guessing randomly choosing them.

You know, for someone who lectures others on knowing Rich, you sure don't seem to know a lot about him.