OOTS #1162 - The Discussion Thread

[Fyraltari]

Heh, I just realized the reason Minrah is so skittish about / distressed by Hilgya's Flame Strike is that the last one she saw killed her.

That's also why she's pissed in panel 2.

[MReav]

Considering your definition of "redress" over these many months has ranged from murder to outright genocide, I don't blame people for not accepting your viewpoint about...well, anything.

Zeon stands for Spacenoid Freedom!

Spoiler

Show

explanation: Zeon is a faction in Mobile Suit Gundam, whose claim to fame is despite claiming they wanted freedom for the Spacenoids, i.e.: people living in space, they proceeded to kill roughly 4 billion people in the span of a week, mostly Spacenoids. This constituted about a third of the total number of people alive at the time.

[Sian]

... I don't think Elan packed enough "I'm Participating" badges for this mission

[JohnnyTurbo]

I see two bards and an arcane main caster... rare for dwarves.

[Squire Doodad]

I see two bards and an arcane main caster... rare for dwarves.

Three actually, if you look close enough. Then again, that is probably Squeaky, his student, and his student's student's...uh...um...
Anyways
Do you think the caster is a Sorcerer or a Wizard? There are Clerics in the Dwarven world, many actually, but are there any signs of arcane study being frequent?

... I don't think Elan packed enough "I'm Participating" badges for this mission

But all of the +1s could turn the tide!

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Well, GW did just go "Oh, but bankrupting the clan is bad, it'll make them marry more people off!".

No, I said that what Hilgya did in no way accomplished your claim of having "destroy[ed] a sex trafficking ring".

In future, refrain from attempting to put words in my mouth.

Grey Wolf

[Doug Lampert]

Zeon stands for Spacenoid Freedom!

Spoiler

Show

explanation: Zeon is a faction in Mobile Suit Gundam, whose claim to fame is despite claiming they wanted freedom for the Spacenoids, i.e.: people living in space, they proceeded to kill roughly 4 billion people in the span of a week, mostly Spacenoids. This constituted about a third of the total number of people alive at the time.

Hey, Red Cloak would fit right in with them. He'll kill, maim, or utterly destroy the soul of as many actual goblins as it takes to bring freedom and prosperity to goblin kind.

And it doesn't matter how many peaceful and prosperous groups of goblins that are living in peace with their neighbors he runs into, he will STILL be convinced that they desperately need his "help" to be peaceful and prosperous.

[Fishybugs]

I think this post should have been named "Helping Hand". A little more on-brand for Sigdi.

[Rogar Demonblud]

It'd give away the joke.

[Leftour]

Minrah developed flamestrikephobia! Hilarious and totally understandable given her previous experience.

Looks like PDSD (post death stress disorder) is a thing in stickverse...

[Resileaf]

Heh, I just realized the reason Minrah is so skittish about / distressed by Hilgya's Flame Strike is that the last one she saw killed her.

Technically, she never saw it.

[slayerx]

I actually can't help but go back to this page and try to match up durkon's family from before and after. Not as many as I hoped, but i got the black dwarf matched up with the kid durkon was playing with when he was young, and the two light beared dwarves were the twin boys that durkon was carrying on his shoulders. The black dwarf had a younger sibling who is likely the caster (One flash back picture shows his mother holding a baby and another where you just barely see a black dwarf with pigtails with an older Durkon). Though it doesn't seem all 5 of the original aunts and uncles are there as i do not see the two aunts (the ones who most closely match them look too young and thus i would presume they are their children)

[Kareeah_Indaga]

So many of those nice Dwarves are going to die, aren't they.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Probably. One way trips to Valhalla and a life of partying coming up.

[Personification]

Gollum voice
It's taters, Precious!

I would like to point out that, canonically, Gollum specifically does NOT call them taters.

Source:
Sam: What we need is a few good taters.
Gollum: What's taters, precious? What's taters, eh?

[Ironsmith]

Minrah developed flamestrikephobia! Hilarious and totally understandable given her previous experience.

Looks like PDSD (post death stress disorder) is a thing in stickverse...

I mean, can you think of a more traumatic experience than actually dying? I mean, it's probably alleviated slightly by the fact that she got to Valhalla instead of Helheim, but still, experiencing a gruesome death like being burned alive would probably leave PTSD symptoms. (Further irritated by the fact that fire is everywhere in a medieval fantasy setting... for cooking and illumination, as a go-to weapon for casters and magic-item-wielding warriors, and that's not even counting accidental fires. Really hoping dwarves have a bonus against that kind of thing...)

[Peelee]

Wait, so the giant crab in Moana was named after a fruit?

Grey Wolf

No, a vegetable.

[Kareasint]

So what music would you choose for this part of the strip were it a movie?

Spoiler: my pick

Show

THEN THE DWARVEN BARDS ARRIVED!
Wait!

I already made that joke.

Not bad. I have always preferred Wagner myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGU1P6lBW6Q

[Silent Wrangler]

Yay, dwarven riot! Down with the vestigial gerontocracy! They ain't supposed to decide the fate of the world!

[Ionathus]

I love this arc. I love everything about this arc.

I love Durkon, and his unwavering loyalty and hard-won stability finally paying off.

I love Hilgya and Minrah, and Minrah coming into her own despite a huge power gap, and throwing Hilgya's sass back in her face, and particularly how strong this arc has been for female-female dialogue.

But most of all I love Sigdi. Her personality, her outlook, and her story. The themes about family have been resonating deeply with me ever since the memory-reveal, and on re-reads have made the earlier parts of this arc all the richer to read.

Blood Runs in the Family was a strong arc, but the Giant has topped himself this time. I can't sing my praises enough for this new chapter.

Oh, and it goes without saying that I love the final-panel charge here.

[Emperor Time]

It's great that pretty much every surviving family member of Durkon has arrived to help him. And at worse, they get to soon meet Thor in Valhalla. This might be the most heartwarming comic to date which is saying something since there been quite a few heartwarming comics so far.

[Necris Omega]

Hilgya, honey, the reason why you're here is so that the malevolent death god doesn't condemn everything you care about (ie you + your child) to an eternity of suffering and horror due to the exact kind of twisted rules manipulation you sided with Loki for in the first place. This is your thing on literally the biggest possible stage your thing could ever apply to. You are throwing a world sized wrench in to the Machiavellian manipulations of a selfish, malevolent god whose enslaved your entire race to a bogus postmortem deal since the start. You should be enthused, not confused.

... Honestly, between that and the failed Will save, I'm amazed she can function as a Cleric, because her WIS score seems... lacking.


Unless no one bothered to explain this to her. Did no one explain this to her already? ... I mean, yeah, I hate her selfish chaotic guts and hope she falls down hole full of Gelatinous Cubes buffed by some sort of high level Gelatinous Bard, but... fair's fair.

[Ironsmith]

No, a vegetable.

Ooh! OOH! More fun coincidences!

Tamatoa is modeled after a coconut crab (one of these guys). Similar to tomatoes (ha!), coconuts are also technically a fruit, though nobody really acknowledges them as such. (Yes, they're nuts, too, in case you were wondering.) So in the sense of his species, Tamatoa kind of is named after a fruit.

[Zhorn]

just got done with a 4 hour lab, see new comic on my break, gonna head into the next lecture with a goofy grin on my face.
Good job, Giant

[Quebbster]

I actually can't help but go back to this page and try to match up durkon's family from before and after. Not as many as I hoped, but i got the black dwarf matched up with the kid durkon was playing with when he was young, and the two light beared dwarves were the twin boys that durkon was carrying on his shoulders. The black dwarf had a younger sibling who is likely the caster (One flash back picture shows his mother holding a baby and another where you just barely see a black dwarf with pigtails with an older Durkon). Though it doesn't seem all 5 of the original aunts and uncles are there as i do not see the two aunts (the ones who most closely match them look too young and thus i would presume they are their children)

Shirra is in the back, next to her husband (bald blond Dwarf with glasses). The twins in the front are her sons too. Hoskin and Kandro are in the front with Thirden just behind. Of the original five, only Logann's unnamed Mother is a sent, but Logann, his father and Sister are all there, so maybe she died?

[Ruck]

Interesting how, say, Thirden's hair has gone completely gray in the interim since we've seen him in Durkon's flashbacks, but, say, Hoskin's hasn't changed at all.

[Xel]

Interesting. The fifth panel so much invokes an actual table-top session. A couple of minis scattered around unable to stay upright and a giant hand placing another on the map.

Oh, and what most everyone has been saying better than I could about the dialog and family stuff.

Edit: ether -> better

[Jannoire]

Interesting how, say, Thirden's hair has gone completely gray in the interim since we've seen him in Durkon's flashbacks, but, say, Hoskin's hasn't changed at all.

He is probably dyeing it...
I just love how Hilgya got put in her place. Minrah for the win!

[terodil]

Not bad. I have always preferred Wagner myself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGU1P6lBW6Q

Which is fitting on more than just one level, considering that

• the scene evokes the 'the cavalry has arrived' trope -- and it's called the ride of the Valkyries
• most of the notable characters in said charge are female -- hence the ride of the Valkyries
• most of the characters totally kick ass, like said Valkyries
• for many of the (lower level) members it is likely to be their last ride... to Valhalla, home of the Valkyries

Good pick!

[Sword-Geass]

Giant, you have to stop what your are doing with Sigdi, there must be some law forbidding a character from being so emotive and badass at the same time.