Murphy's Law 5: To Comic 100...And Beyond!

[smuchmuch]

[COMPLETLY OUt OF THREAD ToPIC]

...Bagels? Wha... what are you talking about?!

Poppy seeds are used as ingredients in cuisine, particulary bakery. One of their use is decoration on baggels and buns, just like sesame seeds are.

Just to clarrify, while the whole 'Papaver somniferum' plant (the poopy plant that is cultivatyed) contains alcaloids, the actual concentration in the seeds is extremely low wich make them safe to eat.
Opium and derivated drugs (morphine, heroin and all these charming products) are obtained from the plant's latex wich is contained in the fruit while it's still not mature))

As far as I know, sesame seeds do not contain opiates, but a close analogue from THC ( amolecula specific to canabis and derivates) that the drug test detects anywaqy.
Generaly, and i beleive that was the point of the previosuly mentioned mythweaver episodes, these things are, like most mass produced medical tests, based on a 'better safe than sorry' philosophy, terribly innacurate and produces an horrible lot of false psoitive. that's why they , normaly, should alwy be followed by a blood test

Tropoids, and particulary Atropine is an horrible horrible posion that causes halucinations, massive paralysis and death by suffocation. It's produced by the family of the Solanacea (Nightshade, Mandrake and potatoes.)[/COMPletly OUt OF THREAD ToPIC]

You may now return to your scheduled tropping, shiping or whatever it is you people do in this den of iniquity.

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Also, nice comic. I like the characters (Matt would be my favorite). Pace feels a little slow, though.

[Marnath]

Also, nice comic. I like the characters (Matt would be my favorite). Pace feels a little slow, though.

It just seems that way because of all the commentary. Much of which is unnecessary and off-topic, I may add. As fascinating as mythbusters and poppy seeds are, this is not the place for that.

Back on topic: Will Kylie be coming with them? It seems unlikely that she will just dissapear, not when there has been so much drama regarding her recently.

[Eleanor_Rigby]

It just seems that way because of all the commentary. Much of which is unnecessary and off-topic, I may add. As fascinating as mythbusters and poppy seeds are, this is not the place for that.

Back on topic: Will Kylie be coming with them? It seems unlikely that she will just dissapear, not when there has been so much drama regarding her recently.

If Smuchmuch is new to Murphy's Law (or even if (s)he isn't) (s)he's probably talking about the pace of the comic itself, after having read through the archive, and discounting the discussion here on the forum.
Whilst mythbusters isn't on-topic I think poppy seeds kind of are, since Coffee said they were a key ingredient in the drow poison Matt purchased, especially as this is an Aequar specific detail and not a generic d&d one. Discussion of poppy seeds and their attributes is comic relevant to an extent if it is part of speculation as to how this may play a part in the plot. I'd agree that poppy seed discussion discussion should probably stop though since it's very easy to go off-topic with it as a border line issue and also some of the poppy's attributes are pretty unfriendly board wise, so it could lead to mod issues (and fair enough). [/hypocrite]

As for Kylie, yeah, I hope she tags along for a little while or they at least come back to her later. I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be pretty important in later stages of the plot, probably some sort of catalyst but hopefully not because something awful happens to her or her sister too (again)
I think/want the next few strips to focus on the party and their reactions to what happened with Lloyd during his time at the academy. I'd be very surprised if they all just dropped the issue after leaving Kylie so unless the next strip deals with her or Matt's trip to the tavern to meet the others, I think this will happen.
As for Smuchmuch's suggestion about pacing issues... I'll admit to being in two minds about this. On one hand I'd like things to happen faster but I think this is almost purely a matter of impatience, on the whole I think Coffee's got the pacing pretty much down pat. Almost never to slow these days. (personally, I could have done without comic 101 - it was poignant in it's own way and I know a lot of people liked it but personally I think the story would have had a better impact if it had concluded with 100 which was a lot more powerful. I know cutting off the ponytail was symbolic with cutting his ties with Kago and everything but it didn't feel 100% necessary - he's got a completely different hair style now and it's pretty easy to guess that the change was deliberate and probably for this reason.)
If there was a time when ML had pacing issues I'd be inclined to say it was towards the beginning, but with those first two or three strips I'd say it's more of a tonal issue than a pacing one. It could be because I don't play d&d and so don't appreciate the rules jokes so much, but Lloyd's general attitude just didn't feel right to me (the way he talked to his paladin mount - which he still does, but not in such a kids' tv show way, and the whole 'adventure party lemonade stall thing' just struck me as a bit awkward) but this is a matter of personal taste (I also generally don't like fourth wall breaking jokes unless they're really subtle and very few and far between) / teething issues that pretty much every webcomic has. It takes a while to get the feel of things. Another thing that really stands out when you look back at strip one is how much Coffee's art's developed since then. I don't see a huge difference between the current art and, say, the Tinder battle but between the current strip and strip one... hooh boy. I guess practice really does make perfect?

Phew. Long post. Also, Coffee: sorry for the part I've played in the off-topic discussions. I always make an effort to at least mention an issue directly to do with the comic but I know I've not managed on at least one occaision and I've been border line on others!

[CoffeeIncluded]

Thanks, Smuchmuch and Eleanor! Yeah, when I started the comic I had a basic idea of what was going on and where the plot was headed, but the details filled themselves in as I moved along. I'm still learning more about the setting and each characters' histories as I glean more information and they decide to tell me more. Heck, I only found out about Miles, Alexis, and Lexington about 5 comics before they were introduced!

[Asta Kask]

Kylie? Well, she's a Plavaan, isn't she?

She's lucky she's still alive...

[Marnath]

Heck, I only found out about Miles, Alexis, and Lexington about 5 comics before they were introduced!

Oh? I thought you had at least Lexington planned from day 1. Or was it a more generic idea of "Lloyd has a gay lover" rather than a developed character at that point?

[CoffeeIncluded]

Oh? I thought you had at least Lexington planned from day 1. Or was it a more generic idea of "Lloyd has a gay lover" rather than a developed character at that point?

Nonono, I knew about Lexington from day 1, but not about Miles and Alexis, or the intricacies of each of the relationships. You'll see what I mean.

[Marnath]

Nonono, I knew about Lexington from day 1, but not about Miles and Alexis, or the intricacies of each of the relationships. You'll see what I mean.

Oh, I misunderstood you. I think I know what you mean now.

[CoffeeIncluded]

I'm going to try for a comic later tonight.

[blackjack217]

squee!!

[CoffeeIncluded]

And here it is! Enjoy and all that stuff!

#104: On That Note, It's Lamplight

Spoiler

Show

[mucat]

Ha!

Watch out, Hyperion. Janine's starting to get her head together...before ya know it, she'll be dueling you on parapets with thunderbolts!

[blackjack217]

Black magic!!

[CoffeeIncluded]

Black magic!!

I don't think summoning a celestial is black magic...

Ha!

Watch out, Hyperion. Janine's starting to get her head together...before ya know it, she'll be dueling you on parapets with thunderbolts!

Thanks! I guess you liked?

[blackjack217]

the color of his magic is dark gray or black. Therefore black magic.

[Marnath]

It will be very fascinating to see whether this celestial being congratulates or berates the Kagoans for their conduct with respect to the plavaan.

I'm hoping the latter.

[Tulio d Bard]

It will be very fascinating to see whether this celestial being congratulates or berates the Kagoans for their conduct with respect to the plavaan.

I'm hoping the latter.

Celestial: "Oh nice! NOW you're looking for advice! Next time, try it BEFORE doing everything wrong."

[HalfTangible]

Considering it would be one of Astrid's celestials and have more to do with rulers and successions than how to deal with the Plavaan, why would a celestial point out their cruelty? Particularly since it'd be one of Astrid's celestials and still support the slaughter of the plavaan.

[Marnath]

Particularly since it'd be one of Astrid's celestials and still support the slaughter of the plavaan.

We do not know that that is the case.
Hence the interest in finding out conclusively.

[Tulio d Bard]

Considering it would be one of Astrid's celestials and have more to do with rulers and successions than how to deal with the Plavaan, why would a celestial point out their cruelty? Particularly since it'd be one of Astrid's celestials and still support the slaughter of the plavaan.

I don't think this is the main subject. Look at panel 2 again. It seems to me that Murphy's seeing that things aren't going well and he wants to know why.

[HalfTangible]

We do not know that that is the case.
Hence the interest in finding out conclusively.

I don't think this is the main subject. Look at panel 2 again. It seems to me that Murphy's seeing that things aren't going well and he wants to know why.

Reread the second to last panel. Sounds to me like he intends to summon one of ASTRID'S celestial servants.

[Marnath]

Reread the second to last panel. Sounds to me like he intends to summon one of ASTRID'S celestial servants.

We know that. It's not certain exactly what Astrid and her servants think of the way the plavaan are treated.

[HalfTangible]

We know that. It's not certain exactly what Astrid and her servants think of the way the plavaan are treated.

Considering that none of the paladins of Kago fall (EDIT: well, for killing Plavaan), that it's been stated that she's fine with it (though admits she's not being reasonable - pretty sure coffee confirmed that one shortly afterward) and that particular comment was geared towards Tulio (not even sure why i quoted yours anymore) yeah, we have a pretty damn good idea of what she thinks.

EDIT: oooooh, i misunderstood your pronoun use. Point still stands.

[RdMarquis]

Well, that answers some questions I had about the cosmology of this universe (the Murphyverse?).

Maybe this belongs in the Wild Mass Guessing page for this comic, but it would make for a great plot twist if the Celestial stumbled out of the circle, badly injured and bearing warnings of a civil war going on up above.

[Lix Lorn]

Well, that answers some questions I had about the cosmology of this universe (the Murphyverse?).

Maybe this belongs in the Wild Mass Guessing page for this comic, but it would make for a great plot twist if the Celestial stumbled out of the circle, badly injured and bearing warnings of a civil war going on up above.

...Yes. That is an awesome idea.

[Tulio d Bard]

...that it's been stated that she's fine with it (though admits she's not being reasonable - pretty sure coffee confirmed that one shortly afterward)...

Sorry, then. I usually forget Word of God.

...Yes. That is an awesome idea.

Damn awesome idea!

[Chilingsworth]

Whatever the celestial says, I doubt the high-and-mighty who summoned it will share the information if it contradicts what they want. Of course, they might also get a fiend-in-celestial's-clothing...

[CoffeeIncluded]

Thanks, everyone. Update later tonight. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it.

[blackjack217]

yay!!

[Lateral]

Thanks, everyone. Update later tonight. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it.

Cool.

...Hey, have I never commented on any of the Murphy's Law threads, even though I've been reading this comic since, like, #14? Spooky.