OOTS #328 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Bookman]

AHAHAHA that's GREAT. That is TOTALLY unexpected.......anyone else expecting Durkon to have high cholesterol? ;)

[Gralamin]

lol a heart test in reality :)

[WNxArrakis]

Test of the heart.. good. NEXT.

that was so cheesy, but its cheesy goodness

[Schpungus]

Aww, c'mon. How much longer do we have to wait until Haley pops from her secret?

[PN123]

Pulse 60?
85/60?
is roy like some god, or is he just atheletic?
I guess that's what being an adventurer does.

[Felinoid]

Heh, the funniest part for me was "Cryptkeeper knockoff". The ending was spoiled because of the prediction in the last comic thread.

Pulse 60?
85/60?
is roy like some god, or is he just atheletic?
I guess that's what being an adventurer does.

That's American measures, and very healthy for a human. I hear the measurement system is quite different in other countries.

[Corvus]

Ah, a trip down the absurd...speaking of, I should get my blood pressure et al checked out one of these days.

[Indurain]

Classic. Enjoyable as always.

(Wow, how much more cliche can I get?)

[Flak_Razorwill]

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Literally.

[Estella]

hahha! this is why you must stay healthy :)

[Wukei]

Wait...if Roy's been through this before wouldn't he have expected this?

[fwiffo]

Wait...if Roy's been through this before wouldn't he have expected this?

As per #325, they (Roy and Durkon) don't seem to recall what the tests were. And, besides, then it wouldn't have been quite so funny.

[Bookman]

Wait...if Roy's been through this before wouldn't he have expected this?

Nooooooo remember? He forgot what he did the last time he passed through.

AGHhhh SIMU!

[Gralamin]

Wait...if Roy's been through this before wouldn't he have expected this?

he couldn't remeber, remeber?

simued x3

[Wukei]

Ah, right...thanks for the reminder...I was wondering why...I need to reread things, I've been a bit out of it lately.

[Djagir]

I guess all the exercise you get from adventuring really is good for the heart...

[rchiang]

Heh. I'm more surprised at how low Roy's blood pressure is considering how stressed he usually seems leading the group.

-Ray

[Kinneus]

Heh, I totally did not see that one coming. Definitely got a laugh of me.
That was pure dragon steak with awesomesauce.

[Blaznak]

Wow that was a LOOOOOOONG way to go for THAT PSA... :)

(No, not Public Service Announcement - Punning Story Advancement!)

[Arin]

Agreed, that was completely unexpected. Although it makes the magic mount disclaimer all the more funny - they were for serious that people with heart troubles shouldn't visit the oracle!

[Ted_Stryker]

Eh, it was funny, but not ha-ha funny.

Bring on the Oracle.

[LordOfNarf]

Really funny, Good Job Giant.

Roy Must have a ridiculously good heart that is a really good heartrate. Also, resting pulse of 60 is some kind of good.

Who wants to bet belkar dosen't pass because of his drinking?

[Moebius]

"Allow me to consult the Peanut Gallery." *snerk* Classic Roy.

Hmmm. We know quite well why Haley looked freaked in panel 7. But V's looking apprehensive as well. Wonder why?

edit: Nevermind. New Years' Belkar-induced trauma, of course.

[Schattendrache]

Heh heh heh. The inanity of it all! ;D

[silvadel]

Rest pulse of 60 isnt that super -- Some people are in the 30s or 40s. I am pretty sedentary and if I dont drink any caff my rest pulse is quite close to 60...

85/60 bp however is a matter of concern.

Any top bp under 100 is low blood pressure and under 90 is ... Well 85/60 would mean he would be similar to those checking him ;)

[LordOfNarf]

"Allow me to consult the Peanut Gallery." *snerk* Classic Roy.

Hmmm. We know quite well why Haley looked freaked in panel 7. But V's looking apprehensive as well. Wonder why?

edit: Nevermind. New Years' Belkar-induced trauma, of course.

V's freaked becausr it would have to reveal its gender

[fwiffo]

Hmmm... Actually Roys pressure is a bit on the low side. While most people have heard of problems associated with high blood pressure, low pressure is also a danger. Both systolic and diastolic have normal range, high/low range, and abnormally high/low range. Roy just barely crossed into low. Probably not good, especially for a big guy.

Still... absolutely hilarious strip. Welcome back, Giant.

[The_Bandersnatch]

Now THERE'S a twist I didn't see coming...

God that was funny... ;D

[Ted_Stryker]

85/60 bp however is a matter of concern.

Any top bp under 100 is low blood pressure and under 90 is ... Well 85/60 would mean he would be similar to those checking him ;)
Maybe he's just really relaxed.

At the height of my fitness, which wasn't really super-fit, I had a BP of ~ 110/65 and a rest pulse in the mid-60s. I might have characterized myself as a D&D 3.5 CON 14 back then, though the 12-13 range probably would have been closer.

[TheWanderingLlama]

That was the best joke ever, in a not-laugh-out-loud way. I'm not making any sense, am I?

[Estella]

wow these threads grow fast, i wonder how haleys heart will be? she already got broken ???

[alanbahr]

Great Job Giant.

[Abd al-Azrad]

Graargh! You're kidding! Here I was looking forward to some soppy cliche!

Oh, wait. No I wasn't. Awesome.


Who wants to bet belkar dosen't pass because of his drinking?

I know that feeling.

[sun_tzu]

Hilarious! Simply outstanding, Giant.

[Aysel]

My dad would actually appreciate this one!

hehehe.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Contrary to Fighter's opinion, non sequiturs are automatically funny, as long as they're ironic.

Great stuff, Giant. Hope you enjoyed Origins.

[Quixoto]

Heh... that got a chuckle out of me. I think it was actually funny enough to be worth the wait.

[Ronfar]

That was an amazing punchline. "Test of the Heart" taken literally. ;)

[Beelzebub1111]

Well, I wish I could say I didn't see it coming but Anticlimax has become all to expected in this comic

[spinn]

Aw hell.

heh heh heh. Totally didn't expect that.

[Tobimaro]

Wow. Another good one, Rich.

I kinda wondered how the gang was going to get by the "Test of the Heart", especially with an undead being showed up. That was kinda unexpected.

But funny nonetheless.

[A_Gray_Phantom]

What!? Ha! No way! Now that is funny! After several weeks, we finally come to the test of the heart.

I've been sitting fiercely at the edge of my seat for weeks, pondering what sort of wholly dramatic symbolism is going to be used in this test of the heart. With the new posting of the new comic, my own heart is aflutter with excitement. I carefully read each word, knowing with the upmost certainty that this was leading into probably the biggest dramatic reveal ever in the history of the universe... only to be sucker-punched by a giant in the playground :o.

He-he-he... I did indeed reread that last panel, to make sure I understood it correctly. I know these words get tossed around with reckless abandon (seriously, they get applied too many times), but that was ingenious!

It also reminds me of the monster movies of old. In the 1950s, theaters pulled all sorts of pranks on audiences: putting electric buzzers in seats, 3-D glasses, guys in rubber suits, and sometimes they piped in certain gasses to emit smells. They'd also stop the movie a few minutes from the ending to give a phony disclaimer. It'd suggest that the climax was so frightening, that people with heart problems should leave the theater. They'd even go so far as to have a registered nurse hang around the lobby!

[Bakta]

For someone whose intelligence compare poorly to that of a table, Belkar sure does have a litterrate way to put it. 4th wall dent I assume. :P

I just love Harley and V's look at Elan's comment.

[Ink]

Hmm, looks like a quite few people got it right about what the Test of the Heart would be. Not the funniest comic for me, but I suppose it was alright.

I wonder how Vaarsuvius would do on the heart test.. we all know he hasn't devoted much time to jogging. Or maybe his supposedly superior elven metabolism would be enough to pull him through.

[Platinum_Mongoose]

Giant, if you make these any funnier, I'm going to make you pay for my surgery for laughing-related organ damage.

[Pvednes]

Damn, that's a low blood pressure.

[team56th]

Wow what a test of HEART. Good for OOTS-They had their heart checked without any GP.
That was soooooooooo great Rich.

[RemoJr]

durkon - high cholestoral
belkar - high blood pressure
Elan - further tests shows he has herpes :D

sorry, i don't know why i find the elan part funny. Guess i'm demented.

[Aerysil1]

That is the worst looking damn nurse I've ever seen.

[jmucchiello]

I think 85/60 is like near coma-like blood pressure. The top number should be over 100.

But I want to know how his cholestorol fairs.

[Sc00by]

I think 85/60 is like near coma-like blood pressure. The top number should be over 100.

I suspect that the Giant (not being a doctor) has probably just made 2 numbers up that sound about right. Nice to see that we have a board full of Doctors though, I know where to come if I get sick now ;)

As to the comic. Me liked that. Didn't see it coming at all and I loved Belkar's little pop at Elan...

What variety of undead is the cryptkeeper knockoff then?

[Ravens_Wing]

LMAO!

Oh that was worth the wait!

although i am a little woried about Roy 85/60 is bad.... i know because i have low blood pressure and the lowest i have had mine at was 80/60 and i was the same colour as the guy checking Roy a lovely pasty grey. ohhhhh... that was not fun no energy at all and feeling like some kinda zombie.

yeah roy should definately get that looked at.


Still good comic. :D

[charik]

Funniest part about the strip was the undead medicos.

[Evik]

Gawd! that was just HORRIBLE!!!
I LOVE IT
LOLOLOL
I'll have seconds please!

[warmachine]

Just cheesy and unoriginal. Not up to the usual standard. I hope this is not a sign that the author is running out of jokes.

[infiniteviking]

Hahahaha! Brilliant! (And Haley's expression... ooh, I really thought the secret was going to come out there.)

Welcome back, Giant!! ;D

[Wiggle]

Heh, the funniest part for me was "Cryptkeeper knockoff". The ending was spoiled because of the prediction in the last comic thread.
That's American measures, and very healthy for a human. I hear the measurement system is quite different in other countries.


From an Aussie and British point of view (I'm sort of both) that is the standard system most westerners use.

As a pseudomedic we were taught that 120/80 and a pulse of 72 is the basic reasonably healthy human average.

The bigger worry for Roy is his pulse pressure (systolic minus diastolic).

Normal human = 120 - 80 = 40 mmHg
Roy = 85 - 60 = 25 mmHg

He should barely be able to stand up - I remember when I fainted with a BP of 95/70 - you don't feel too good

From Wikipedia on pulse pressure:-

If the usual resting pulse pressure is measured as less than 40 mmHg, the most common reason is an error of measurement. If the pulse pressure is genuinely low, e.g. 25 mmHg or less, the cause may be low stroke volume, as in Congestive Heart Failure and/or shock, a serious issue. This interpretation is reinforced if the resting heart rate is relatively rapid, e.g. 100-120 (in normal sinus rhythm), reflecting increased sympathetic nervous system activity attempting to improve stroke volume and cardiac output.

[bexie]

Woah, good comic giant.
A literal Test of Heart, good one! ;D
Can't wait for the next to get up.

[Glorfindel]

I expected much from the Test of the Heart, but certainly not this. What a bloody sense of humor ... this is one of the things that make OotS great!

[GM_West]

:D Awesome comic! I loved Roy's comment that he had to check with the Peanut Gallery. That cracked me up for some reason. As did Belkar's rude little comment!

Maybe Roy's extraordinary low blood pressure is due to the undead doctor's instruments. I mean, they're probably not used very often on 'live' patients. They're probably skewed toward the dead a bit...

Man, I just wish my blood pressure was about halfway between what I actually have and Roy's I'd be perfect!

[Eldhrin]

With all these comments that Roy should be fainting, I'm now wondering if the Giant is going to tweak those numbers for book #3 which this strip will inevitably be compiled into.

Very much liking that. Very much indeed :-)

[Neopolis]

Hehe, made me laugh. Yeah, very unexpected as said, and Haley's face was priceless. Now it's time to make really weird predictions about people's blood pulse.


EDIT: Hm, I just noticed V had that scared expression too. Probably afraid "it's" gender would be shown.

[Alsadius]

I really need to quit reading spoiler-tagged threads - someone called this one a few days back. Still funny, but not as funny as it would have been if I hadn't sorta been expecting it.

[Behold_the_Void]

Quite amusing. Not the kind to make you fall out of your chair, but definitely good nonetheless.

[Solmage]

Heheeh! I had originally thought something like this might happen, until I read all the preamble to the test.. and was thus surprised afterall :)

[Antina]

EDIT: Hm, I just noticed V had that scared expression too. Probably afraid "it's" gender would be shown.


Ahem: He/She just kind of swore to kill Belkar as soon as possible!

[orcmonk89]

That was a VERY good ending. Another good one Rich!

[Last_resort_33]

"Allow me to consult the peanut gallery"

I laughed too much at that

That needs to be on a TShirt!!

Maybe with some quote about the leader taking the time to listen to other party members

[Soniku]

Heh, I was guessing it would be something like that.

First guess was a three mile run followed by a dragon shouting "BOO" at them, and seeing if any got heart attacks =/ but that was better

[Freelance Henchman]

Man, these Oracle Tests have turned out completely anti-climactic. I hope the gang hasn't just wasted a bunch of time and learns something worthwhile from the actual Oracle.

[Solmage]

The way I see it, the comic may not have been laughing out loud funny.

But what it did do, is make me chuckle a bit at stuff like "Who is this 'we' you're talking about..", and it genuinely made me lean forward in suspense when I saw V's and Haley's expressions, and yet a few more chuckles from the resigned "I don't see time improving this situation.."

So basically, I'd still call it a very good comic 8) (Just because some of the last past few have been truly outstanding, shouldn't diminish any others)

Now, I am just hoping next week will bring two more comics, ideally the first not too far away from that relative place in time commonly known as Monday :D

[A_Gray_Phantom]

I forgot to mention something in my last post. I don't have nearly as much restraint as Mr. Burlew does. I'm a writer too, and one of my flaws is that I have urges for melodrama. I'd have (erroneously) gone with some cliched reveal, and then killed one of the main characters :P. Yes, I still have a lot to learn. That is one of the reasons that Mr. Burlew is a far better artist than I.

[Adder]

My favourite line was Elan's comment in the first panel:

"So we thought ourselves through the Test of Strength and we fought ourselves through the Test of the Mind."

I say, let them get some bonus-XP for a creative approach ;D

[Delgarde]

Oh, dear... really... oh dear. Worst joke for a long time... :)

I do enjoy Roy's despairing attitude to the team of late... "Are you ready then?" "No, but I don't see the passage of time improving the situation." Although something's got to happen to snap him out of that...

[Lo_aJeNo]

Good strip, but is Roy being checked through his armour? Maybe that explains his low blood presure.

[Korta]

Good comic, didn't see the last panel coming at all. Nice literal interpretation! And makes more sense, too.. "can you stand the shock of what the Oracle will tell you?"

However, I can't help but be sadly longing for poor Haley's secret to come out...poor girl needs her voice back, and bad!!! I was sure the Test of the Heart would be it....

[Ink]

Man, these Oracle Tests have turned out completely anti-climactic. I hope the gang hasn't just wasted a bunch of time and learns something worthwhile from the actual Oracle.


Highly unlikely, seeing that the Oracle is for entertainment purposes...

[Max_Sinister]

Now that was really ironic! I like it!

[Xianthe]

Highly unlikely, seeing that the Oracle is for entertainment purposes...

*snickers* Most disclaimers exist merely for the CYA (cover your "rear") aspect, particularily with all the lawsuit-happy people out there. I can think of several examples where the disclaimer is completely laughable; I'm still willing to believe that the group may well get something useful out of the Oracle, afterall.

[t0rp0r]

Hehe, made me laugh. Yeah, very unexpected as said, and Haley's face was priceless. Now it's time to make really weird predictions about people's blood pulse.


EDIT: Hm, I just noticed V had that scared expression too. Probably afraid "it's" gender would be shown.

Yes, but Haley's eyes were twice as big as V's, so she is obviously much more scared of her secret being revealed. ;)

There are a hundred reasons why V could be worried (some already mentioned) ... after all, he/she has unfathonable knowledge beyond the puny minds of mere mortals, etc., etc. ... :D

[Dudukain]

2 Things:

Test of Heart: AWESOME
"We thought our way through the test of body and fought our way through the test of mind"

[Finwe]

Shouldn't Roy's blood pressure be way higher, what with all the frustration and annoyment he has to deal with daily?

[Ink]

*snickers* Most disclaimers exist merely for the CYA (cover your "rear") aspect, particularily with all the lawsuit-happy people out there. I can think of several examples where the disclaimer is completely laughable; I'm still willing to believe that the group may well get something useful out of the Oracle, afterall.


Well maybe this Oracle delivers earth-shattering revelations in song-and-dance format. Who's to say you can't be enlightened and entertained at the same time?

[Belamros]

2 Things:

Test of Heart: AWESOME
"We thought our way through the test of body and fought our way through the test of mind"
Indeed. I did see that Heart thing coming, but dismissed that thought.

[Gnorosch]

I liked Elan in this comic: We have nothing to hide from each other!, very happy expression on his face.
Rest of the gang: looks shocked.
Belkar: Not truly concerned.

[exploding_brain]

I assume that Roy's low blood pressure has something to do with being in fantastic shape (maybe con 16 or 18 with item buffs) and the aggaivation he gets from leading being the leader of The Order.

If his resting BP wasn't so low, he would have popped something by now while shouting at Elan and Belkar and the rest of them. When The Order isn't aggravating Roy to the edge of a murderous rage, he enters a state of tranquility that is Zen-like in comparison to his nomal existence.

[Ulicus]

The last couple have been pretty good, but I found this one rather underwhelming. The only thing that got me smiling was Elan's optimism.

I think the Dragon strips are funnier at the moment. Or at least, I found the *last* Dragon strip I saw to be funnier - with the summoned animals. I don't know if that's the most recent one or not.

I had kinda hoped to see Roy's sword emitting a deadly green energy while strapped to his back, given his proximity to undead creatures, but I suppose that effect is being saved for another day.

[Elcaz]

I found it funny, though I couldn't avoid noticing the change of color and environment in the last panel before I got there. It wasn't completely spoiled but I was expecting something odd. I guess the oracle doesn't want it's visitors dying of a stroke after creepy revelations.

Oh, and they DID fight on the body test and did think on the mind test.

What I find most impressive is the fact that there wasn't a single 'FIRST PAGE!' announcement on the first page.

[gallow]

This one let me down a little, but that's just because #237 was so fabulous. Loved the seventh panel, though.


What I find most impressive is the fact that there wasn't a single 'FIRST PAGE!' announcement on the first page.
Oh god, you're right! I knew something was missing!

Not that it's a bad thing. It's just... message board users (any message board users) showing signs of maturity. It feels so... apocalyptic. Oh no, 060606 all over again! :o

[jmucchiello]

I suspect that the Giant (not being a doctor) has probably just made 2 numbers up that sound about right. Nice to see that we have a board full of Doctors though, I know where to come if I get sick now ;)
But looking up info about blood pressure on google or wikipedia takes just a moment. And we aren't aware that 85/60 is low because we all went to medical school. At a certain point in your life, you just have to start knowing about your blood pressure. Glad to see Rich hasn't reached that point. But he really should update the last panel. Based on the panel as it exists now, Roy has failed the test of the Heart.

[TreesOfDeath]

All the build up and wait for this? >:(
Meh

[trehek]

Great one!

It may not matter whether Roys blood pressure is high or low with our standards, since the doctor and nurse are undead. They may find ANY blood pressure acceptable! ;D

We shall see, maybe... ???

[remirat]

LOL!!!!!!!!!
you pass! next!!!
sweet!!! :D :D ;D ;D ;D

[CelestialStick]

Not great, but cute. :)

[Kizor]

Huh. The biggest surprise here is that, after prolonged exposure to Belkar, Elan and Haley, Roy sill has a low blood pressure.

[Ivellios]

The ending punch-line, I saw it coming, but it was still funny.

[Cybella]

Awesome comic. As always :)

Thanks Giant

[Cap_Hardman]

Awesome comic. As always :)

Thanks Giant

Eh... hey, G... What's the elf's great Secret and doubt? (besides his/her gender?)

[Fillbert]

And now, time for somethng entirely different.

[Fillbert]

Great one!

It may not matter whether Roys blood pressure is high or low with our standards, since the doctor and nurse are undead. They may find ANY blood pressure acceptable! ;D

We shall see, maybe... ???


True, very true. A B. P. of 2/1 would be fantastic to a zombie.

[ShadeMoon64]

I laughed out loud! What a great payoff! Keep it up, Giant.

[Niskers]

I knew it had to be good, with a build up like that!

(woo page 7)

[Eriol]

True, very true. A B. P. of 2/1 would be fantastic to a zombie.
lol


As for the "nervousness" I only saw that Haley and V seemed scared. Roy seemed more resigned to the idea in an "let's get this over with" attitude, but not fearful. As was said, Elan's enthusiastic and Belkar doesn't seem to care (he doesn't feel guilt). But contrary to what others said, Durkon doesn't seem stressed by it either. He really doesn't have any significant secrets, and he seems like the kind of guy who is "at peace" at most times, and thus doesn't really have anything to hide. So really, the only two that would be stressed out by having their secrets revealed would be Haley (and we know some of the reasons, though not all) and V, whom we know less about, though there have been hints (Spouse, and probably more than that).


And as many others have said, I'd be a little worried about hypotension with Roy. It possibly could be OK (that wiki article that somebody linked earlier mentioned that if somebody functions their whole life with a low BP with no problems, they are just an anomaly, and 100% OK), but typically... not. And again as others have said, that his BP isn't 140/100 from his stress is quite a miracle. ;)

[CelestialStick]

And now, time for somethng entirely different.

You wouldn't by any chance mean "and now for something completely different," would you? ;)

[Otterella]

Actually, dwarven beer is probably full of heart-healthy flavonoids. My husband's doctor told him he should drink one glass of dark beer or red wine every night to LOWER his cholesterol.

Durkon is probably just relieved it's not a Test of the Liver.

[baltor85]

LMAO, jeese Giant, these comics have been nothing but good for the past few weeks! Man, this is great, I don't care about the wait between them if they're this funny!

[brionl]

I am not a doctor, but at one time I was a certified Emergency Medical Technician. I'm going to chime in that a BP of 85/60 is something to be concerned about.

Otherwise a great strip. ;D

[Umbral_Arcanist]

Well........

That was anti-climatic

[CelestialStick]

I am not a doctor, but at one time I was a certified Emergency Medical Technician. I'm going to chime in that a BP of 85/60 is something to be concerned about.

Otherwise a great strip. ;D
I'm not a doctor, but I play one on tv... ;)

[sugarmouse121]

lol great comic! Some people did think this would happen. Well done to them.

[Sylvius]

When I was in high school my blood pressure was a freakishly low 90/60. Doctors and nurses always took it twice because they didn't believe it the first time.

I'd have been happier if Roy's BP were something like 120/80

[Brother_Hood]

Loved it!

I don't get to see the Dragon strips, anyway, so...

[tgva8889]

That was great. I love Order of the Stick.

If we took everything literally, life would be much more funny. Great comic, Giant.

[Krytha]

BP is 120/80

[molonel]

It's pretty bad when the comic itself informs you that the material it contains is derivative and unoriginal.

It's like someone at a party who insists on saying, "Man, I've got this really bad joke to tell you."

Telling me that it's a bad joke doesn't make it any funnier.

Thumbs down.

The story is moving forward, but Rich is busy and this stuff is not his best work.

[Grey Watcher]

I love it, though I do wonder why V looks so worried about having his secrets revealed. I also love Elan's synopsis of the previous two tests. :-)

[charik]

It's like someone at a party who insists on saying, "Man, I've got this really bad joke to tell you."
I have a friend who, at gaming sessions, will occassionally pass around some snack and say "this tastes terrible, want some?" And people will try it, just to see how bad it really is.

[Dags]

Although I enjoy OOTS for the most part, and The Giant should be thanked for entertaining us, I also feel that when I am displeased I should say something. So, although all of you seemed to like it...

It was retarded, at best.

Lemmings.

[Baelfyre]

I don't like it when things like that happen to my characters.

I don't like it when they happen to my players.

So I can't say I like it in my humor, either.

[DwaggieBard]

My first reaction to the last panel was:

"I KNEW it!" I totaly did! The setup was just too great.


Still, the last 50 comics weren't as funny as the first 200.

[Muscadine]

Well, as a former med student, I can say that a low blood pressure might be cause for concern with a high pulse or other symptoms, but some people just have a lower than normal BP. Hypotension is generally diagnosed by symptoms, not numbers (unlike hypertension), so 85/60 could fall well within normal range for some people.

One or both of the numbers might be due to error, but if you think that's a wierd reading I should tell you my mother has had an unreadable BP (0/0 or practically so, after multiple tries) while supine, and been perfectly conscious. She's had nurses slap her to "revive" her.

[ArkonXY]

bad comic I wish the giant would give haley her speach back! she was really funny!

[Messy]

Hmm. Seems like people disliked this comic. I like OOTS no matter what happens, so I can't complain here. Can't seem to tell the difference between a bad and a good comic.

Hopefully Rich is just tired from Origins and will be up and at 'em for #329.

[fwiffo]

Hmm. Seems like people disliked this comic. I like OOTS no matter what happens, so I can't complain here. Can't seem to tell the difference between a bad and a good comic.

Well, did *you* like it or not? If you liked it, then it is a good comic. Just because some people didn't think it was funny doesn't mean you shouldn't.

Perhaps you can read some criticism that convinces you to change your initial opinion... The characters acted out of character, there was an inconsistency with other strips, the joke was not funny - and you reread it and see the point and change your view. Doesn't mean the first impression is right. But I have not seen any such for this strip... I think it is absolutely hilarious and until someone makes a good argument that it is not a good strip, I have no reason to take their impression over mine.

[OzymandiasVolt]

Worst. Pun. Ever.

[Shea Landford]

HAHAHA! ROFLMAO! Excellent.

[Edmund]

Terrible, Giant.

But terrible in the best possible way. So it's wonderfully terrible or terribly wonderful. I can't tell which.

I liked the joke (in a 'it's so bad it's good' way), but felt somewhat cheated by the long buildup.

[Gannes]

(Man, I'm outta touch here. Only up eight hours, and already 9 pages of comments!!)


85/60 bp however is a matter of concern.

Any top bp under 100 is low blood pressure and under 90 is ... Well 85/60 would mean he would be similar to those checking him ;)

That's what I thought, too.

[Krytha]

V is worried about his gender being revealed..

[Nekkira]

I'll admit I was hoping for a bit more after the long wait, but it was amusing.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Worst. Pun. Ever.

Not even close (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2002-07-17).

And while we're on the subject... (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-10-09)

[okpokalypse]

Rest pulse of 60 isnt that super -- Some people are in the 30s or 40s. I am pretty sedentary and if I dont drink any caff my rest pulse is quite close to 60...

85/60 bp however is a matter of concern.

Any top bp under 100 is low blood pressure and under 90 is ... Well 85/60 would mean he would be similar to those checking him ;)


Actually, what you're referencing is hypotension, which is at 90/60 and below. 85/60 is a mild cause for concernin most people, as a person with such a blod pressure is prone to dizziness, lightheadedness and dementia.

Of course, if Roy was on anti-depressants or dieuretecs he could suffer temporarily drops in BP. Dehydration will also cause a drop in BP. It can also be caused by diabetes or aenemia.

Lastly, a low-normal BP coupled with a low resting heart rate isn't horribly uncommon - although it shouldn't be dismissed. Many athletes who do endurance sports (cycling, running, etc) have standing heart rates in the 40-50 range, and have blood pressure drops as low as 75/55. Lance Armstrong has a resting Heart Rate of 30 BpM. Steve Prefontaine's was 28 BpM. LeMond had an absurd 24 BpM - and they were all in the peak cardiac condition.

[humanpylon]

Not even close (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2002-07-17).

And while we're on the subject... (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-10-09)

You know I love puns but those ones you linked to almost made me vomit on my keyboard. I'll probably still try to use them though.

[Axl_Rose]

lol - that was a very funny comic.

[BelkarsDagger]

Biggest. Anticlimax. Ever.

[Thanatos]

Hmm... I guess Roy's sword didn't end up taking on the "glows in the presence of undead" property from the starmetal after all. That's too bad, I think he was rather excited by that possibility.

The side jokes during the lead in and setup worked better than the punchline panel, but it's still a very enjoyable comic. :)

[Durin]

Biggest. Anticlimax. Ever.

didn't you use to be purple... or blue?

anyway to those of you who can't do your own custom avvy's and have them anyway where do you get them is there a group of people taking requests? I would like to know.

Great comic Rich.*Sniff* I LOVE YOU MAN... like a brother... like a brother.

EDIT: nevermind oots arts and crafts I see it right over there sorry for being noobish

[Wiggle]

V is worried about his gender being revealed..


His gender - are you sure!?!?!? (not like we've had 70,000 threads on this one)

[Albion]

Very obvious punchline(oh COME ON!), maybe that's why I couldn't really see it coming, terrible in a good way and all that... which along with the build-up makes it all in all beautiful, of course...

...at least just this time.

Now I'll have to make sure I remember what to answer the next time someone asks me whether I'm ready.

[Haggis_McCrablice]

What next: The Test of the Prostate? ;D

[Kinneus]

I especially like Roy's pissed-off look in the last panel.

[kabbes]

Who on earth ever said that zombie doctors use the same units of measure as we do? Maybe a pressure of 60 on the zombie scale equates to 80mmHg. In that case 85/60 on the zombie scale would be equivalent to about 113/80 on the mmHg scale.

In other news: I thought that this was possibly the funniest strip yet. So those of you who didn't like it are just wrong.

[Kanashimi]

wow, very funny and totally unexpected. Loved the look on V's and Haley's face!

I can't believe how low Roy's BP was, considering how furious he must have been at that time! Talk about calm under pressure. jeez, I'm an avid athlete and mine's much higher than that!

[Lord_Oni]

I think it should be pointed out that these guys are Undead, hence having no pulse of there own. Maybe they just think well they have a heart and have a BP .... ok you pass.

[Mercutio01]

I wish my blood pressure was that good.

[GKBeetle]

Holy crap! I don't know why, but I totally cracked up when I saw the punchline for this one, even more than usual. That was extremely funny. Test of the Heart! That's awesome! :D

[jaded_empath]

Okay, now this made me smirk several times; and the punchline made me narrow my eyes in the manner of "Rich, you sneaky <expletive deleted>" as he pulled something so obvious that I discounted it ages before...

I can easily see some lines from #328 becoming quotes:

E: So we thought our way past the Test of Body-
R: Who is this "we" you're talking about?
E: -and we fought or way past the Test of Mind.

---

Cko: Are you prepared to submit to the Test of the Heart?
R: Alloy me to consult the peanut gallery.

----

E: Aren't our hearts free of all fear and doubt?
<expressions of varied worry and concern>
B: I doubt that you have two brain cells to rub together - does that count?

-----

Cko: Are you ready, then?
R: No, but I don't see the passage of time improving the situation.

---

:D

Oh, and just a few thoughts that I've had since my first attempt to post here a couple of days ago (dang unreliable ISP):

1. The 'Cryptkeeper knock-off' might be a ghoul or more likely a wight (I've always thought of CK as some kinda bald, demented Githyanki, really :J ); but all this discussion of legal disclaimers and medical examinations before being permitted to refer with the Oracle, I now wonder if it's a vampire spawn, since obviously it would be natural to have someone with inherent blood-sucking abilities on legal retainer for this specific task. ;)

2. Roy's BP is so low that he IS darn near ready to faint after the circumstances he's been very recently put through. That demoralizing lethargy when the adrenaline leaves you - you get all pumped up to face something awesome and intimidating, and then realize you've massively over-prepared, and - to be honest - wasted a perfectly good worry over nothing.

"Oh, <insert deity of choice here>; I just wanna go to sleep - wake me when it's over!"

(Oh, and I interpret the deep frown Roy holds for the majority of the comic as resigned discontent, not blood-pumping frustration {no gritted teeth, e.g.})

[humanpylon]

What next: The Test of the Prostate? ;D
I hope not! I don't think the comic would be pg-13 anymore.

Bigby's Probing Digit anyone? ;D

[Ashaman_Feeney]

His gender - are you sure!?!?!? (not like we've had 70,000 threads on this one)
Sigh.......
In the English languge the male form is used when you don't know the gender of the person you are talking about.

Have to love the look on Haley's face...

[Otterella]

Hmm... I guess Roy's sword didn't end up taking on the "glows in the presence of undead" property from the starmetal after all. That's too bad, I think he was rather excited by that possibility.

The side jokes during the lead in and setup worked better than the punchline panel, but it's still a very enjoyable comic. :)

I thought of this, too, but then I figured it must be only in battle. The sword would "know", in a manner of speaking, that the undead in question were not threatening.

[Corylus]

What a total disappointment. I was all ready for some play off the big romance which would have been bad enough but the last panel just beggars belief.

[carmachu]

Wow, remember when some of us complained that the comic was bogged down in the Haley plot and wasnt that good?

I'd rather have that back than this comic. Ugh.

[neriana]

Sigh.......
In the English languge the male form is used when you don't know the gender of the person you are talking about.


No, it's not. "His or her" or "her or his" is used. French and other languages resort to the male form, English does not grammatically.

I liked the comic, though Roy's blood pressure made me go "muh?" Either he's about to drop dead or the undead do use a different measuring system than we do.

[The Glitter Ninja]

I have nothing to say here, except a BP of 85/60 is really, really low, especially the systolic. The diastolic of 60, not so worrying, but still a problem.

[geez3r]

I would like to just comment on the blood pressure deal people keep bring up. They are wondering how Roy's pulse and blood pressure is so low. I think I may have the answer. The Con ability represents a character's health and stamina. We also know that Roy claims to have alot of hitpoints. We know that fighters do indeed get alot of hp from their nice d10 HD, but was if ROy has alot of Hp by even fighter standards? By that idea, Roy would have a high Con score, and there by being in peak physical health. Lance Armstrong, quiet frankly the guy with the most stamina on the planet (he rides his bike in the mountains for 2 weeks and averages 30 mph), has a very slow heart rate, but his heart moves alot more blood per beat than the average human.

If, for reasons unknown, you do not wish to admit that Roy has a higher than average Con, I have a second theory. A fighter's best friend, aside from his weapon, is his armor- his heavy armor. As an adventurer, Roy moves around (and as we've seen mostly on foot) with heavy metal objects weighing him down, you're going to be in good shape if you do that for a few weeks, let alone months or years.

Oh yeah, Great comic Giant.

[zibeck]

Can I play doctor with Haley?

[ElfLad]

No, it's not. "His or her" or "her or his" is used. French and other languages resort to the male form, English does not grammatically.

I liked the comic, though Roy's blood pressure made me go "muh?" Either he's about to drop dead or the undead do use a different measuring system than we do.


Nope. I took a grammar class last year and our teacher specifically told us that the male pronoun was used in uncertain cases, and that "his or her" was grammatically incorrect.

[fwiffo]

Nope. I took a grammar class last year and our teacher specifically told us that the male pronoun was used in uncertain cases, and that "his or her" was grammatically incorrect.

It might be gramatically incorrect but it is politically correct.

[BelkarsDagger]

Gaaah! Test of the Heart! I get it now! D'oh! But still a really big anticlimax...

[Durin]

*Run's orange zergling over with a jeep*

Awww boss looks like you done ran over some poor fellers dog.

Thats a zerglin' lester smaller type o' zerg

[t0rp0r]

It might be gramatically incorrect but it is politically correct.

Just an interesting little article on the subject:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=he

When I worked as a reporter, this was a very hotly argued topic, especially as our city editor was a woman and didn't agree with the idea that you could use "he" as a gender nuetral pronoun in every case, for example, in the sentence "He just gave birth to a baby." Of course, my argument would be that if you're making that statement it is assumed you're talking about a female even if you're not stating so.

But, regardless, I'll tend to say he/she in casual writing just to avoid confusion, and in formal writing I'll just do anything possible to avoid the situation altogether! :)

[charik]

'They' also has a centuries-long history as a 3rd person singular indefinite pronoun in English. The only reason it's not 'proper' English is because the Grammarians forced a Latin grammar on a fundamentally Germanic language.

As to the lack of a glow on Roy's sword, I put that down to the sword being 'at rest' rather than 'in use'. I'll have to go back and look to see if it's sheathed or in his hands.

[fwiffo]

Just an interesting little article on the subject:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=he

When I worked as a reporter, this was a very hotly argued topic, especially as our city editor was a woman and didn't agree with the idea that you could use "he" as a gender neutral pronoun in every case, for example, in the sentence "He just gave birth to a baby."

The general rule that I was taught is that if it is unknown which gender person is, and there is a similar chance that person is a man or a woman, you use "he" or "him". Or maybe the sentence applies to people in general, so it doesn't matter what gender is.

"My boss is keeping me late at work". "So, tell him you need to go"
"You got a referral to Dr Jones, call his office to make an appointment"
"Yeah, I flamed molonel, but he flamed me first"
"He who hesitates is lost"

Sometimes there are exceptions, where you can assume that a person is a woman even if you don't know, like maybe if you talk about a nurse or secretary; but those are rare.

The thing is that a reasonable woman would not get insulted or upset if you apply the masculine pronoun, as long as there is sufficient reason to believe that you didn't know it was a woman, since masculine pronoun is also gender-neutral in many contexts. But a politically correct woman might be upset.


But, regardless, I'll tend to say he/she in casual writing just to avoid confusion, and in formal writing I'll just do anything possible to avoid the situation altogether! :)

Well, you end up torturing the language one way or another. He/she is a horrible constuction, and trying to rephrase your sentences to avoid gender identification leads to far worse sentence flow. Like, for example: "Let him or her who is without sin cast the first stone" or "He or she who hesitates is lost". Uugily.

P.S. And that usage note in the page at dictionary.com is completely silly.

Anyway.... back to the comic. :)

[denelian]

on the grammer issue - i think that we need to relearn the germanic "he/she/it", "der/die/das" which comes out to "male/female/neuter"

on the blood pressure...

i know, when i was in the hospital a loooooooooong time ago, they freaked when my BP droped to 80/60. i don't care how good your CON is.

other than that... it was the anticlimax that made this one great *G*

edit:ps - Giant (Rich), i was at Origins, working (i run the Show Office) and the only time i got to your booth you were gone. it made me sad :( but, erm, hi?

[t0rp0r]

Sometimes there are exceptions, where you can assume that a person is a woman even if you don't know, like maybe if you talk about a nurse or secretary; but those are rare.


:)


I'd say it's a pretty good bet not to assume either of these are females either, of course (which might be why National Secretary's Day was changed to National Administrative Assistant's Week ;) )

Yes, he/she is a butchery, which is why I only use it informally, of course. But that's the whole point, isn't it? No matter which path you choose you're bound to be condemnded, either as a sexist, a PC thug, a grammatical purist incapable of adapting to modern thinking, or something else.

Some authors (the most recent one I read was Cesar Milan in his book Cesar's Way, though I'm sure there are others) have taken the step of alternating usage back and forth (Cesar uses "he" one chapter then "she" the next). I seem to remember a lot of the RPG rulebooks use "she" as the gender-neutral term ...

Anyway, as you also said, back to the comic, poste-haste!!! ;D

[yuccadude]

Looking back at the comic where they meet the Magic Mouth tm, I hope Roy doesn't develop rickets...cause Roy and Durkon already have the memory loss associated with visiting the Oracle...

I wonder if the crown from that Roy got from Xykon could be affecting the blood pressure reading...

[neriana]

Nope. I took a grammar class last year and our teacher specifically told us that the male pronoun was used in uncertain cases, and that "his or her" was grammatically incorrect.
Your teacher is incorrect. While it may be slightly more awkward, "his or her" is proper. Actually, people seem to be tilting toward using the female construction about 50% of the time and the male construction the other 50%. It is too bad we don't have an equivalent to the German neuter though.

[roguemomof7]

>:( Aaaaargh! Attack of the ninja mutant politically correct grammar fiends!

Now, children, for all of you who have given up on this because you get so much grief from so many people on so many sides of this so silly question:

Write the sentence so you don't have to use an indeterminate "his". Much of the time this is actually preferable, since it forces you to use an "active" rather than "passive" voice. If you need to use a pronoun for an gender-indeterminate person, for God's sake use "his" or "him" or "he" and let's just all get over it. The historical roots of the use of the male pronoun go back so far that it's pointless to try to fix it now. Just use it, it sounds fine, no one will be bothered by it but a few poor souls looking for something to get upset about.

We now return you to your originally scheduled broadcast:

Great comic! My son fell over laughing when he got to the last panel, he was so surprised by it! Keep up the good work, Giant!

Note appropriate and unequivicable use of proper gender-specific pronoun.

[VariaVespasa]

As to the lack of a glow on Roy's sword, I put that down to the sword being 'at rest' rather than 'in use'. I'll have to go back and look to see if it's sheathed or in his hands.

Irrelevant- the smith said it would *likely* (not guaranteed) have the property of SOMETIMES doing the energy thing. He in no way said or suggested it would ALWAYS glow around undead. He said it would probably sometimes glow anytime, and that it would be particularly harmful to undead. And thats ALL he said. In practice it may well manifest (if it ever does) as a random chance of an effect every time he hits an undead in combat, and of course he hasnt fought anything undead with it yet. So hold yer horses.

*Hugs*
Varia

[Antina]

Irrelevant- the smith said it would *likely* (not guaranteed) have the property of SOMETIMES doing the energy thing. He in no way said or suggested it would ALWAYS glow around undead. He said it would probably sometimes glow anytime, and that it would be particularly harmful to undead. And thats ALL he said. In practice it may well manifest (if it ever does) as a random chance of an effect every time he hits an undead in combat, and of course he hasnt fought anything undead with it yet. So hold yer horses.

*Hugs*
Varia



"HE" ???
Just not to start THIS again ;)

The smith is a cross-dresser ? ;)

[Dags]

Your teacher is incorrect. While it may be slightly more awkward, "his or her" is proper. Actually, people seem to be tilting toward using the female construction about 50% of the time and the male construction the other 50%. It is too bad we don't have an equivalent to the German neuter though.


Just curious... wher did you get YOUR Teaching Crdentials? Trust the professionals.

[okpokalypse]

Most often, to avoid the inherent problem of gender identification when using 'he' or 'she,' one should refer to the use of 'one' as a gender-neutral identifier. Especially when gender is a non-issue or abstract within the statement.

"One could become out of sorts in this conversation."

"One who desires, but does not act, breeds pestilence."

"Misplacing one's keys, the teenager had to climb through the window to get inside the house."

The above style of speech has been used by philosophers who have understood the need for gender-neutral identification for hundreds of years. In my post-grad work it was stressed that we should employ such style whenever we abstracted the gender of our examples.

When referring to something concretely - such as an animal or tree - with an unidentified or absent gender definition, using the "it" identifier is commonly acceptable.

[okpokalypse]

Your teacher is incorrect. While it may be slightly more awkward, "his or her" is proper. Actually, people seem to be tilting toward using the female construction about 50% of the time and the male construction the other 50%. It is too bad we don't have an equivalent to the German neuter though.

You're definitely correct when you state that many are using the 50% / 50% use of either "his" or "hers", "he" or "she" and "him" and "her" independently. Look at the WotC material for D&D that gets put out. One Base Class will entirely refer to a male identifier, while another is female. They have a gender split of identified characters, about 50-50, to keep the balance.

However, I've rarely found literature that states "him or her" - unless it's been a poorly written instruction manual :). And I've never heard of that being the proper use of abstract gender identification. I've actually learned it as just the opposite - as the use of "it" or "one" should be used to preserve ambiguous gender.

[SteveMB]

Ahem: He/She just kind of swore to kill Belkar as soon as possible!
True. (It didn't bother Belkar, because he's too sociopathic to care except insofar as having his intentions known might interfere with carrying them out.)

[sbwilson]

Heh...a blood pressure test. At least it wasn't one of those "Turn your head and cough" tests. :o

[Arin]

Y'know what just occured to me? I think we found the reason why Xykon doesn't go to the Oracle, he can't pass the test of the Heart. :)

[Felinoid]

Personally, I prefer using "s/he" in writing. It's not as awkward as "him or her" or "he or she", and doesn't have the exclusion of picking just one. I've even found I'm able to say it by adding a sibiliant before "he", but in speaking I do tend to default to just plain "he".

I would guess that this is likely the case of grammar changing to fit the society (it's not like it hasn't happened before). We live in a more PC society, and the grammar changes to stay in line with it.

[Kanashimi]

ooh! Sibilant! that's a quarter word! :)

[jaded_empath]

I wonder if the crown from that Roy got from Xykon could be affecting the blood pressure reading...

!!! Oooooooh; nice idea - maybe he's gradually being cursed by it?


But there's NO argument that any CON score would NOT have an individual in good condition (max HP) with such a low BP.

Yes, Lance Armstrong has a low PULSE when he cycles, because his efficient heart pumps a lot of blood with one beat and thusly has to beat fewer times than mine would to get the bike travelling the same speed. Ergo, he has a lower working pulse than I do.

But his working blood pressure would still be higher than the regular resting BP. At about 85mmHg systolic, the human heart wouldn't be able to push fresh blood all the way to the extremities of an adult human body - Roy would be having cold, numb hands and feet, and a pale complexion.

Sorry if you wish to disagree on this point but it's not even human physiology anymore, it's just basic physics now - if you don't push that door with enough force, it's not going to close all the way.

My point is: it's wrong, big deal; get over it. :P I personally don't let a *trivial* gaffe of technical specifics get in the way of an enjoyable comic.


(Long, tangential annecdote follows: An eon ago I wrote a story with a similar issue - one of the characters is faint, burning up with fever and a friend who's a med student comes over and realizes the severity of this condition precludes transport to a hospital; they have to bring down the 'patient's' temperature NOW to prevent...well, DEATH. My flub was to quote a reading of 117 degrees Farenheit. The "Medical Experts" immediately called me out on this, and provided me with info to correct it; I did so, since none of these people were available to me before I posted the story. :) Some people still nit-picked over the error that no longer existed, while others were kind enough to suggest a correct temp that would still require the medico to declare "No, we don't have time to wait for an ambulance - we have to cool him off NOW.")

[belboz]

Anyway, though 85/60 is a bit low, it hardly means "borderline comatose," as some poeple have suggested. A *normal* BP for a serious athelete is around 95/62. This is, at worst, a "you might want to keep an eye on that" sort of reading.

denelian--my guess is that the people in the hospital freaked when your BP dropped to 80/60, not because 80/60 is freak-worthy in and of itself, but because it was probably a rapid and significant drop from your normal. If someone reads 120/80 normally, and starts steadily declining to 80/60 over the course of a few minutes, that *is* pretty scary...because it suggests that 40/20 may be just around the corner.

But if it were 80/60 all the time, the doc would probably just ask if you ever felt dizzy or were having trouble with fatigue, and if the answer was no, tell you to let him or her know if you start to.

[ravenkith]

Grammar - In actual fact, the English language does possess a strictly 'neutral' mode of address: it's just that it has become higly uncommon in terms of usage in everyday speech.

One may do whatever one wishes to avoid the truth, but at the end of the day, one is left facing the fact that people are just too damn lazy to use it. It's a little unwieldy, but there it is.

A lot of people now use a 's/he' pronoun in written work, as a bone to those people who actually track how politically correct an essay is, but technically speaking, the official neuter pronoun of the English language is still 'One'.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I have a bachelor's in English, and was, at one time, a teacher.

Comic -
Low blood pressure = bad. Does the undead critter have a paralysis touch? That would explain it! Along with the constipated look on Roy's face.

Puns = bad. Unless they're good. This one wasn't. Could have taken a number of different routes with this one, this was probably the worst you could have picked. Completely off the wall. Pythonesque in some ways, but I always found them to be very hit or miss.

Comic = So, so, rescued by the throwaway lines sprinkled throughout. I second the idea that the best line in the comic is Roy's reply to "Ready, then?"

Overall this comic was below par for the giant, but I have faith that this is a temporary anomaly caused by con-fatigue and an overloaded schedule.

[DomaDoma]

Yeah, but "one" is pretty general. When you're talking about, say, an unidentified vandal, is "they" acceptable?

[Durin]

yes it is. like saying. "They stole my purse." or "They took my wallet."

[Otterella]

"They" is generally accepted in colloquial speech, but is definitely incorrect in formal writing. If you are referring to only one person, you do not use a plural pronoun. That's what "one" is for.

[AggieDan]

Hmmm...

Why no green glow around the sword? I know it would happen "occassionally" around the undead but one would think with at least 3 showing up that it would have exhibited the behviour at least in one panel.

[DaMullet]

Well, if you notice, the exact wording is this. http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=297

Smith: It lis likely that your sword will sometimes glow with a deadly green energy that is particularly harmful to the undead."

Never does he say that it would happen merely while in the presence of undead, it just hurts them more.

[geez3r]

You know I love puns but those ones you linked to almost made me vomit on my keyboard. I'll probably still try to use them though.

That's not even the worst of it (http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2005-10-15)

I just want them to finally see the Oracle... again. But knowing that this is OOTS, I'm figuring that there is going to be about 2-3 more comics before that happens, just to prolong our suffering, oh and to get a few jokes in as well. Honestly, if you decided to summarize solely the plot of OOTS, it could be done in about 2 typed pages. But, its not the plot you remember, its the puns. Oh and for the whole his/ her/ they debate, so long as you're getting your point across and using the appropriate local dialect, I don't think too many people will notice, even if it's not grammatically correct.

[cleric_of_BANJO]

Giant, I have never said this before, but I did not like this strip. at all. The joke belkar made about elans brain cells was funny, and the last strip was unexpected, but I only got a small chukcle out of it. I miss the good old days, when I could barely breathe because I laughed so hard.

About the grammar, it is off topic, and completely unnecessary. I like it! Anyway, I think that one is not always grammatically correct. If you said "One thief stole my purse", It could be right, but "One is gonna be in trouble" doesnt sound right.

[AggieDan]

Well, if you notice, the exact wording is this. http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=297

Smith: It lis likely that your sword will sometimes glow with a deadly green energy that is particularly harmful to the undead."

Never does he say that it would happen merely while in the presence of undead, it just hurts them more.

I realize that... But, it WAS a perfect opportunity to see what it would look like.