Serini and her Sidekick

[Mad Humanist]

I think we can put together quite a lot of reasonably solid information now.

The mysterious green voice from 1189 (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1189.html) was in fact Serini and is the same as the cloaked captor in recent strips.

Serini had an encounter with Xykon where she lost the her diary and the left side of her body.

Her medical treatment seems to have been to have someone apply a half-golem template (https://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/templates/halfgolem.shtml).

It also seems that Serini is left-handed. This is very clear in the recent strips, but also she refers to her left hand as her "first hand". Also in 196 (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0196.html) she waves with her left hand. This seems like a deliberate decision on the part of the author but I don't know if it will be plot significant.

The dartboard is curious. It clearly seems to be Serini keeping her hand in. She can't be that bad because presumably she was the one who took down Lien and O'Chul.

Also not sure what to make of the "children's drawings."

So it seems that coloured text on a coloured background is construct speech. This can also be seen in the Crystal's Revenge (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0971.html) arc.

Therefore we may conclude that the orange voice from 1189 (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1189.html) is also something construct related. I guess that the same person who applied the half-golem template to Serini built the Orange voice as an aid and to keep Serini company.

This makes sense then of the talk about existing. That is appropriate language for a construct or at least for a half-construct talking to a construct. I suspect that the exchange is recognition on Serini's part that the presence of paladins (and other indications to her that hers is the last gate) that probably the end of the world is nigh. As such there is nothing odd about that exchange and it all makes sense.

Coming back to the children's drawings. My guess is that they are Serini's. They look like the drawings in the diary. The penalties in the half-golem template could explain their child-like nature. The paradox is that she no longer looks like a mischievous little rascal that she did in the flashbacks. Now she looks bitter, worn, old and half-golem.

[Fyraltari]

It also seems that Serini is left-handed. This is very clear in the recent strips, but also she refers to her left hand as her "first hand". Also in 196 (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0196.html) she waves with her left hand. This seems like a deliberate decision on the part of the author but I don't know if it will be plot significant.

Can't we have representations without it being a plot point? Lefties don't need a justification to exist. :smallannoyed:

[Cazero]

Can't we have representations without it being a plot point? Lefties don't need a justification to exist. :smallannoyed:
Like how Bandana being gay was irrelevant to the plot but still gave us a funny sex joke? Yes, more of that please.

Edit : scratch that. Lesbian don't exist for my personnal amusement.
It was still funny tho.

[Fyraltari]

Like how Bandana being gay was irrelevant to the plot but still gave us a funny sex joke? Yes, more of that please.

Edit : scratch that. Lesbian don't exist for my personnal amusement.
It was still funny tho.
I don't remember a sex joke about Bandana, what are you talking about?

[Cazero]

Her comment on wands. (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0970.html) Since wands (and swords, and arrows, and...) are somewhat phallic, you can make a parrallel with penis-having sex partners, and the exact same words work just as well. Wich is funny.

[Fyraltari]

Her comment on wands. (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0970.html) Since wands (and swords, and arrows, and...) are somewhat phallic, you can make a parrallel with penis-having sex partners, and the exact same words work just as well. Wich is funny.

Oh, I forgot that bit.

[Mad Humanist]

Can't we have representations without it being a plot point? Lefties don't need a justification to exist. :smallannoyed:

Well either Serini is left-handed to develop the plot or to instigate endless arguments on the forum about whether her left-handedness is a plot-point. Your move.

[theangelJean]

Well either Serini is left-handed to develop the plot or to instigate endless arguments on the forum about whether her left-handedness is a plot-point. Your move.
(emphasis mine)
Well, no, because you imply that the author intended either of those things, "to" being short for "in order to". One or both of those things may in fact happen, but the author's intention may also in fact be that she exists in the comic without being a plot point.

[Fyraltari]

Well either Serini is left-handed to develop the plot or to instigate endless arguments on the forum about whether her left-handedness is a plot-point. Your move.

Or maybe the author looked around, so that there are left-handed people in the world and thought that some of his 100+ cast of characters should be left-handed.

That'd be in character for him:




If Rick had decided to make Bandana colourblind, I would just as much want that colourblindness to have a function in the story; now or in the future. Because else, why bother writing in an explicitly colourblind character? Sure they exist, but why mention it?I don't give a damn if diversity in OOTS has a function in the story. Diversity in OOTS has a function in real life. I will happily sacrifice any or all story logic on the altar of accomplishing one fraction of an ounce of real good in the real world. The story is a tool for getting my ideas across, nothing more. Some of those ideas are thoughts on D&D and how it should be played, some are thoughts about right and wrong, and some are thoughts about the world around us and how we should treat other people. If there was a problem with OOTS before, it was that it was not properly reflecting how I see the world; now, it's a little closer.

For you, OOTS is a silly little comic strip you read a few times a month. For me, it's eleven years of my life and a primary source on my thoughts and feelings that people will use to judge my contributions to the world and any future works I create. If I want to make it more closely align with how I really feel, I'm going to ****ing well do it.

Also: Last time I checked, colorblind people enjoy the full extant of rights and privileges that people with full spectrum vision enjoy, and it is in fact thoroughly illegal to discriminate against someone for colorblindness, as it would be for anyone suffering a medical disability. If colorblind people were being denied the same rights as other people—or even getting killed for being colorblind—you could damn well be sure I would be certain to include one in OOTS.

EDIT: Hinjo is red-green colorblind. CANON.

[Quartz]

Her medical treatment seems to have been to have someone apply a half-golem template (https://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/templates/halfgolem.shtml).

The Crystal golem was purple, not green, so I'm not so sure of that.

[Mad Humanist]

The Crystal golem was purple, not green, so I'm not so sure of that.

I don't follow your logic here. It never occurred to me that Grubwiggler may have done Serini's half-golem work. But now you mention it I think that is entirely possible.

I am guessing that your thinking is that each golem creator creates golems with a different colour speech bubble. I think it is far more likely that the colour of the speech bubble tells you the golem type. So presumably Crystal had purple because she was a flesh golem. Presumably Serini has green because she is an iron half-golem. And the orange voice has orange because he is a clay golem. So no living beings were harmed in his making.

So the argument that it is Grubwiggler is conservation of detail. Maybe that suggests that the Serini/Xykon meeting was in Greysky City.

This would imply that the whole Celia/Grubwiggler arc was a sort of foreshadowing of the reveal about a Serini/Grubwiggler interaction.

[hamishspence]

I'd have made her the half-clay golem, and Orange Being the half-iron golem - because iron rusts, and orange is the colour of rust.

Whereas clay is associated with soil, and plants grow in soil, and plants are green.

Plus there isn't much "metallicness" about the non-flesh parts of her face.

[Mad Humanist]

I'd have made her the half-clay golem, and Orange Being the half-iron golem - because iron rusts, and orange is the colour of rust.

Whereas clay is associated with soil, and plants grow in soil, and plants are green.

Plus there isn't much "metallicness" about the non-flesh parts of her face.

Hmm.. I thought her face and hands etc, looked totally iron. I was more surprised that green was associated with iron but just assumed that the colours are somewhat arbitrary.

[Dr.Zero]

I don't know about this half-golem theory.
Mind you, it seems reasonable, to some extent, on the other hand someone pointed in the comic thread that she hasn't any stitch (like all the golems we have seen), which is quite a good point.
The two sides seems more like blending, instead of one attached to the other.

Moreover creating a golem seems overall more expensive than casting a regeneration spell. (I give for granted that to make move a piece of dead flesh, or clay or iron, you must anyway bind an elemental spirit in it and do the usually steps required to create a full golem).

The only reason to choice such an outcome would be to gain the (honestly awesome) immunity magics related to golems. But at that point Serini shouldn't resent such a choice.

Are there any more ideas about what Serini could be?

[Mad Humanist]

Ion the other hand someone pointed in the comic thread that she hasn't any stitch (like all the golems we have seen), which is quite a good point.
The two sides seems more like blending, instead of one attached to the other.


First of all we have not seen an iron (or a clay) golem as far as I recall. But if we did would you expect it to be stitched together?

With regards to the blending, I suppose that is more her flesh adapting to the "new organs" over many years.

Another thing. Compare the colour of Serini's left side to that of the chains.

[Dr.Zero]

First of all we have not seen an iron (or a clay) golem as far as I recall. But if we did would you expect it to be stitched together?

With regards to the blending, I suppose that is more her flesh adapting to the "new organs" over many years.

Another thing. Compare the colour of Serini's left side to that of the chains.

Magically glued, maybe? After all the template says the limbs are "attached".
But okay, "the living flesh is adapting to the new pieces" makes sense. We never saw a clay or iron golem and even less a half one.

But the hair on the artificial foot, then?

[hamishspence]

The chains look grey, not green, in close-up.

http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ag/20020816a

http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/images/mm2_gallery/88268_620_131.jpg
http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/images/mm2_gallery/88268_620_132.jpg

The half-flesh golem has stitches - none of the others do. The half-iron golem's parts look much more mechanical than Serini's do though.

[ReaderAt2046]

I'd have made her the half-clay golem, and Orange Being the half-iron golem - because iron rusts, and orange is the colour of rust.

Whereas clay is associated with soil, and plants grow in soil, and plants are green.

Plus there isn't much "metallicness" about the non-flesh parts of her face.


I don't know about this half-golem theory.
Mind you, it seems reasonable, to some extent, on the other hand someone pointed in the comic thread that she hasn't any stitch (like all the golems we have seen), which is quite a good point.
The two sides seems more like blending, instead of one attached to the other.

Moreover creating a golem seems overall more expensive than casting a regeneration spell. (I give for granted that to make move a piece of dead flesh, or clay or iron, you must anyway bind an elemental spirit in it and do the usually steps required to create a full golem).

The only reason to choice such an outcome would be to gain the (honestly awesome) immunity magics related to golems. But at that point Serini shouldn't resent such a choice.

Are there any more ideas about what Serini could be?

I agree with the half clay-golem theory. The non-flesh parts of her body look more like mud or clay than anything else, at least to me. As for the stitches, I think that's a flesh-golem-only thing, because you sew flesh to flesh (like sewing a wound). Makes sense to me that clay golem grafts would just adhere to the flesh.

[Mad Humanist]

But the hair on the artificial foot, then?

I presume glued on, to make Serini feel better about herself.


The chains look grey, not green, in close-up.

And I would say Serini's left side looks more grey than green, though with a greenish tinge to be sure. Pretty much like the chains.


http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/images/mm2_gallery/88268_620_132.jpg


Much though I appreciate the pictures, I would not set much store by them. Golems are generally fighting machines. A golemization process done as an emergency procedure to a rogue, might be a bit more finessed.

Though to be fair if it was GRubwiggler he was paying more attention to the needs of the customer than he did to Celia.

Also how does that stone half-golem eat or go to the loo?

[hamishspence]

And I would say Serini's left side looks more grey than green, though with a greenish tinge to be sure. Pretty much like the chains.


I'd say a far closer match is to the walls of the room, than to the chains.


Also how does that stone half-golem eat or go to the loo?

With difficulty, presumably. Or, all those half-golems failed their will saves against turning into Constructs - only a half-golem who passes their Will Save, retains their type and alignment. Constructs don't need to eat, sleep, or breathe, in D&D.

[Riftwolf]

Is it possible this is a Frankenstein Health Care Package that isn't within the D&D rules, or more specifically, within the half-golem template rules? I seem to remember Pathfinder having Alchemist alt-class features that allowed the patchwork approach, but not sure if 3.5 had anything other than the Flesh Golem.

[Quartz]

I don't follow your logic here.

Very simple: Crystal as a golem is purple; half of Serini is green.

[grandpheonix]

Like how Bandana being gay was irrelevant to the plot but still gave us a funny sex joke? Yes, more of that please.

Edit : scratch that. Lesbian don't exist for my personnal amusement.
It was still funny tho.

Funny story, I never connected that to her sexuality at all. I just figured she was a magic free rogue and never needed magic during her excursions as a pirate.

[Joerg]

Would a (half-)golem limb, which is made of iron or clay, still grow hair? Because Serini has white hair on her green foot.

[dps]

Like how Bandana being gay was irrelevant to the plot but still gave us a funny sex joke? Yes, more of that please.

Edit : scratch that. Lesbian don't exist for my personnal amusement.
It was still funny tho.

Actually, I prefer to pretend that everyone else exists for my personal amusement. The world tends to make a little bit more sense and suck a little bit less that way.