Funny dwarf 22

[Particle_Man]

Dwarves are honourable because of a bet between gods.

The tie breaker is a demigod who used to be a dwarf.

He gave his word that he would follow the democratic wishes of the dwarves.

He will still keep his word despite Hel’s evil monologue about claiming all dwarf souls.

Because he is honourable.

Dwarf 22! The Dwarven version of catch 22!

[Rogar Demonblud]

I thought that was called Lawful Stupid.

[Emperor Time]

I thought that was called Lawful Stupid.

Pretty sure it just Lawful Bland.

[Takver]

On the other hand, Hilgya seems to have found, in Loki, something that's like the exact opposite of a Catch-22. She wins no matter what she does, because dishonor is honorable and honor is still honorable.

[Particle_Man]

The question is, is Hilgya correct in her assumptions?

[Rogar Demonblud]

Her assumption boils down to "Have my cake and eat it too", which is traditionally not a safe bet.

[Jama7301]

I can picture Hel and Thor arguing over her soul, each making compelling cases, as Loki laughs in the background.

[Snails]

Hilgya is assuming that an afterlife dictated by the preferences of Loki is an eternity more tolerable than hanging out with Hel.

Assuming that Loki is CE, that may be a good bet for Hilgya. It is a terrible bet for lots of other dwarves.

[Darth Tom]

I can picture Hel and Thor arguing over her soul, each making compelling cases, as Loki laughs in the background.

Very good point - what does Loki get out of it? Chaos. I always see him as Heath Ledger's Joker.

[SlashDash]

Her assumption boils down to "Have my cake and eat it too", which is traditionally not a safe bet.

For a protagonist or antagonist? Sure.
But Hilga is a minor recurring character.

Things like this can usually end up working. Just like, say, the Oracle.

[Kish]

If you have cake, why wouldn't you eat it?

[brian 333]

If you have cake, why wouldn't you eat it?

Because as soon as you eat it you no longer have cake.

I would disagree, though, that the bet made dwarves more honorable. They began as an LG race. The bet, as I see it, was Hel betting that most dwarves were hypocrits who couldn't live up to their ideals. All the bet did was reduce the 'honorable' requirement to a single point in time rather than requiring the entire life of the dwarf to be judged.

If anything, it allows more dwarves to get into Valhalla who otherwise would have failed to measure up if their whole life had been subject to the scrutiny given to Roy upon his death.

The bet is not a curse the dwarves must endure. It lets those who would have otherwise gone to Hel to redeem themselves with no penalty to those who would have lived honorably anyway.

The comic even acknowledges this as Hel's major complaint.

[Particle_Man]

Except Hel’s complaint was that by Thor telling the dwarves about the bet they then became the most honourable race on the planet so the timing doesn’t favour your theory.

[brian 333]

Except Hel’s complaint was that by Thor telling the dwarves about the bet they then became the most honourable race on the planet so the timing doesn’t favour your theory.

She is not an unbiased witness. Note how she blames her other miscalculations on others as well. Whatever happens is always someone else's fault, not her own doing. This appears to be a pattern with her: involve others in her schemes, then blame them when it fails.

[xroads]

If you have cake, why wouldn't you eat it?

It's a proverb. Basically meaning you can't have something both ways. It literally means you can't have a pretty cake for show and eat it too. Once you eat it, it's gone.

In this case, the implication is that Hilgya probably can't use Loki's religions as way to let both the honorable & dishonorable paths be a way for her to skip paying Hel her due.

[Particle_Man]

She is not an unbiased witness. Note how she blames her other miscalculations on others as well. Whatever happens is always someone else's fault, not her own doing. This appears to be a pattern with her: involve others in her schemes, then blame them when it fails.

Well she is the only witness we have, so we are stuck with her unless Thor or Loki say something soon. :smallsmile:

That said, if the Dwarves were that honourable pre-2.0, then Hel would have been really stupid to take that bet. So I am not convinced.

[brian 333]

Well she is the only witness we have, so we are stuck with her unless Thor or Loki say something soon. :smallsmile:

That said, if the Dwarves were that honourable pre-2.0, then Hel would have been really stupid to take that bet. So I am not convinced.

I'm thinking that she presumed the dwarves were hypocrits; good when there was no cost, but as soon as they had to prove their goodness at the cost of their lives she presumed most would abandon their attitudes of goodness and show their true colors.

The thief locks away his treasures, the liar doubts the word of others, and the powermongers view every act as intended to further ambition.

You can see it in action in Durkula's final moments of unlife: he couldn't comprehend altruism because the concept is beyond Hel's comprehension.

Plus, so far, Hel really has been portrayed as stupid.