The Index of the Giant's Comments VI―Making Dogma from Zapped Bananas

[137beth]

I do think it's worth including. I didn't realize that the setting search convinced him to try being a writer and not "just" an artist. Or maybe I did know that but I hadn't seen him express it like he did in this interview.

[mattender]

I do think it's worth including. I didn't realize that the setting search convinced him to try being a writer and not "just" an artist. Or maybe I did know that but I hadn't seen him express it like he did in this interview.

I came by the forum to make sure there was a note about it (and happily, there was). I also think it is noteworthy.

[Jasdoif]

As linked in Rich's Twitter, he was interviewed for an article about the 2002 Fantasy Setting Search.

It mentions Rich as being the writer of OOTS, and the influence of this contest on his decision to focus on writing rather than graphic design, but is otherwise unrelated. I don't think we should index it.

I do think it's worth including. I didn't realize that the setting search convinced him to try being a writer and not "just" an artist. Or maybe I did know that but I hadn't seen him express it like he did in this interview.

I came by the forum to make sure there was a note about it (and happily, there was). I also think it is noteworthy.

Two for, one against....It looks like it'd extend this entry well enough:

Supporting the Strip
On the Comic As a Business The website was originally intended to support a game design career, and the gaming comic was envisioned to keep people visiting the site to see the latest gaming articles. The comic was never produced purely for arts' sake: "It is a business of selling a creative work, but it is still a business."	#1066	2017/02/21

What's everyone else think?

[Kish]

I say to include, predictably enough.

[snowblizz]

I tend to be for inclusion. The story of how Rich got going I think is also included in some book commentary because I've read it, but not everyone is going to have access to that.

I always found that story to be quite interesting.

[Gwynfrid]

As an extension to the comic as a business entry, it adds nice color and makes a lot of sense.

[ti'esar]

Another vote for inclusion. I've read some of the things the Giant has written about both that contest and how he got started, but I don't think I've ever seen the part about how it was what made him start thinking of himself as a writer and not just a graphic designer before. That's really interesting, IMO.

[Jasdoif]

Okay; with the after-two-months date for the next update cycle being only two weeks away now, I suppose I should put a tentative entry together....

---

Proposed Items for Index 6.8
🍍🍌On the Comic As a Business The website was originally intended to support a game design career, and the gaming comic was envisioned to keep people visiting the site to see the latest gaming articles. The comic was never produced purely for arts' sake: "It is a business of selling a creative work, but it is still a business." See also here, on Wizards of the Coast's Setting Search contest and how it led the Giant to "start Giant in the Playground as a place to publish my further work...."	#1066	2017/02/21	Tentative, appears will be included without vote.

---

Hmm, looks a bit long in the description....

[Jasdoif]

Well then!

---

Proposed Updates for Index 6.8
🍍🍌On the Comic As a Business The website was originally intended to support a game design career, and the gaming comic was envisioned to keep people visiting the site to see the latest gaming articles. The comic was never produced purely for arts' sake: "It is a business of selling a creative work, but it is still a business." See also here, on Wizards of the Coast's Setting Search contest and how it led the Giant to "start Giant in the Playground as a place to publish my further work...."	#1066	2017/02/21	No vote required, will be included.

With nothing eligible to be voted on, there will be no vote; the Index has been updated.

[hamishspence]

Do you think The Giant's comment on Fenris from 1232 being the same god as Fenrir from 999, is worth mentioning?

https://forums.giantitp.com/showsing...3&postcount=11

[ByzantiumBhuka]

Probably not. A spelling difference seems a bit too small for this.

[Ron Miel]

I say nay.

[Emanick]

I agree, it’s not really worth including.

[snowblizz]

And it's mentioned what twice? I think basically at this point effectively it's a typo for all intents and purposes.

Edit:
I should say I reserve my right to change my mind the second I see 3 people in a row get confused by this and start posting threads. That's why am usually in favour for inclusion, I've seen people confused.

[Gwynfrid]

In the past we’ve had lengthy debates about things arguably just as unimportant as this one, and in some cases they were even voted in. But I agree, this isn’t worth an entry.

[Jasdoif]

Do you think The Giant's comment on Fenris from 1232 being the same god as Fenrir from 999, is worth mentioning?

https://forums.giantitp.com/showsing...3&postcount=11

I think that the post refers to it as something that could be "fixed", means the Giant considers it an error and thus it isn't worth mentioning. Which also seems to be the consensus....

(I imagine something of the sort applies to Dvalin and Davlin as well.)

[Fyraltari]

New Q&A post:

1. "Q: Do you regret killing fruit Pie? A: No" No.
2. "Q: Did you enjoy writing Tarquin? A: Yes." Yes.
3. "Q: Why did Redcloak think he's have to kill his spy. A: He wasn't sure it'd be needed, but considered it."Yes.
4. "Q: Are dinosaurs mythical? A: Dinosaurs exist, but maybe creatures from other IP exists as myths." No.
5. "Q: Did you consider making more Monsters for Every Season? A: I did make more and there's another one coming."Undecided.
6. "Q: How do dragons run? A: Like big dogs or cats." Yes, very important lore.
7. "Q: Was Tsukiko inspired by a Walking Dead character? A: No." Yes.
8. "Q: Are all 9 sides known by now? A: The number 9 is arbitrary and meaningless." YE GODS, YES.
9. "Q: Is the Azurite hair color natural? A: Yes." Yes.
10. "Q: How much do you cut? And do you feel the need to reuse it? A: Not much."Yes
11. "Q: Do you write conversations/battles in advance? A: Conversations yes, battles are more improvised." Yes.
12. "Q: Do you feel more social media presence would help the comic. A: No, it's better for me this way." Undecided.
13. "Q: Do you look up D&D rules when writing? A: Haha, no." Yes, that flowchart is glorious.
14. "Q why did you change your use of colors? A: It looks better now, especially on books." Yes.

[ByzantiumBhuka]

New Q&A post:
"Q: Are all 9 sides known by now? A: The number 9 is arbitrary and meaningless." YE GODS, YES.

At last! All nonagons shall be banished with the summoning of a banana!

Agreed on almost all counts, except on 4 and 7 (undecided) and 12 (yes).

[snowblizz]

Yea we need more of that flowchart. Cracked me up something fierce.

[Schroeswald]

Yes on 2, 3 and 8 through 14, undecided on 4-6, no on 1

[Metastachydium]

Okay. A very emphatic YES to 3, 8 and 9; a smaller, but firm YES to 1, 2, 6, 7, 11 and 13; a NO to 4, 5, 12 and 14; and an I don't know for 10.

[Darth V]

.

HOLY GUACAMOLE we can finally put this nine sides nonsense to a rest!


1. Fruit Pie? Seriously? Even the Giant doesn't take this question seriously, so NO
2. "How to write Tarkin" would be a nice addition to the writing/characters section, but i don't have any strong feelings on this quote. Let others decide.
3. Insight in Redcloak's motivation regarding the spy. YES
4. Mythical Dinosaurs? The answer doesn't even say anything substantial. NO
5. Someone failed a bunch of spot checks and missed not only Kickstarter updates, but on this very site: news announcements, forum threads, product pages and the banner of The Giant advertising his latest product. One has to wonder if that asker confused the patreon with Google or Alexa... Obviously NO, we can link directly to that stuff and don't need a quote.
Next Question: War&XPs was such an awesome book, are there any plans to release more books after that? ...
6. Dragons are giant cats. Interesting. Why not? Undecided, feels too much like clutter and doesn't really matter anyway.
7. Parallels and Plagiarism: YES
8. Kill those ****ing nine side discussions. Kill it with fire!!! YESYESYESYES (Why could that not have been question number nine?)
9. Blue hair. YES
10. Cutting content. Maybe? small yes
11. Plotting dialogue and battle scenes. Very useful inside in the writing process. YES
12. Personal question without relevance to the comic. NO
13. No quote please, just the flowchart! YES
14. The change of the colour palette was technically already discussed in the comment section of either DCF or NCFTPB, but we can't link to that. So... maybe? YES

[b_jonas]

.5. Someone failed a bunch of spot checks and missed not only Kickstarter updates, but on this very site: news announcements, forum threads, product pages and the banner of The Giant advertising his latest product. One has to wonder if that asker confused the patreon with Google or Alexa... Obviously NO, we can link directly to that stuff and don't need a quote.

The shop page that you linked to, the one that is linked from the sidebar of the webpage whenever you're reading comics, it doesn't mention the Utterly Dwarfed book or the fifth AMFES. I think it's not surprising that some people miss that those products exist, or at least think they're not on sale. For reference, you can find the product page for the fifth AMFES from the news page. That said, I don't think this answer is worth to include in this quote database.

[Darth V]

Huh, didn't notice that. Failed a spot check myself! Mabe someone should direct the attention of The Giant to these missing tidbits. My point still stands, though. AMFES are listed way more than the asker had known to exist.

[Gwynfrid]

A very cool post from the Giant here... I think everything except #1, #4, #5, and #12 should be included. I could be persuaded to keep #1, just because the answer is a fun read, even though it doesn't say anything informative.

That flowchart made my morning

[Jasdoif]

On the odd chance my post ends up on a different page anyone's missed the link, there's a new Q&A post over on Patreon.

I will note that #5 looks to be inappropriate for inclusion under Rule B...but it doesn't look like there's much drive for it to be included anyway.

#	Question	In Favor	Against	Disposition	Posters
1	"Do you regret killing fruit pie?" (<SarcasmOverflowException/>)	1	5	Exclude	In Favor: Metastachydium Against: Fyraltari, ByzantiumBhuka, Schroeswald, Darth V, Gwynfrid
2	"Did you enjoy writing for Tarquin? Was is hard to write the pun duel between him and Elan?" (Yes, and no; respectively.)	5	0	Include	In Favor: Fyraltari, ByzantiumBhuka, Schroeswald, Metastachydium, Gwynfrid Against:
3	"Why did Redcloak think the polymorphed hobgoblin spy had to die? Redcloak ended up telling Xykon that he destroyed the resistance and retrieved the phylactery from them, so there seems to be nothing the spy would know that needed to stay secret. Did he not want Xykon to know he could have destroyed the resistance earlier? Did he have a different plan before he killed Tsukiko? If so, was the original plan?" (Less risky.)	6	0	Include	In Favor: Fyraltari, ByzantiumBhuka, Schroeswald, Metastachydium, Darth V, Gwynfrid Against:
4	"Are dinosaurs considered mythical creatures in the OOTS world? Or are they just ordinary animals that happen to exist in the world?" (No.)	0	4	Exclude	In Favor: Against: Fyraltari, Metastachydium, Darth V, Gwynfrid
5	"During the Kickstarter event you did two Monsters for Every Season (Autumn 2016 and Winter 2018). I really love them. Have you considered doing more of these and offering them for sale?" (Yes.)	0	4	Exclude	In Favor: Against: Metastachydium, Darth V, b_jonas, Gwynfrid
6	"How do dragons run in the OOTS universe? Is it more like a weasel or a lizard? Perhaps dachshunds?" (Big dogs or cats.)	4	0	Include	In Favor: Fyraltari, ByzantiumBhuka, Metastachydium, Gwynfrid Against:
7	"I just started watching The Walking Dead a few months ago. I'm not sure if you have seen it. (Spoilers, sort of, on season 4) There is a character, a young girl, that loves the "walkers", and plays with them. She thinks they are misunderstood. This was in 2014, and I'm not sure what year Tsukiko came on scene. Was she inspired by this, a coincidence, did you think I already wrote that girl, or have you never watched TWD?" (No.)	4	0	Include	In Favor: Fyraltari, Metastachydium, Darth V, Gwynfrid Against:
8	"In this comic the roaches mention 9 different groups in this conflict. Have all 9 been revealed or are some still hidden?" (Demonic roaches betrayed you.)	6	0	Include	In Favor: Fyraltari, ByzantiumBhuka, Schroeswald, Metastachydium, Darth V, Gwynfrid Against:
9	"Do citizens of Azure City/paladins/members of the Sapphire Guard dye their hair/beards shades of blue, or does it grow that color naturally?" (Natural.)	6	0	Include	In Favor: Fyraltari, ByzantiumBhuka, Schroeswald, Metastachydium, Darth V, Gwynfrid Against:
10	"How much stuff winds up on your "cutting room floor"? I know you've said your scripts end up too wordy and have to be trimmed. Do you find that trimming is more often of the 'consolidation' variety or of the "that whole weird tangent about gnome commoners and railguns has to go'? do you keep a notebook/log of cool things you had to snip, in hope to find somewhere else to use it?" (Consolidated, mostly.)	5	0	Include	In Favor: Fyraltari, ByzantiumBhuka, Schroeswald, Darth V, Gwynfrid Against:
11	"Do you write the scripts for entire scenes in advance or strip-by-strip? For example did you write Durkon and redcloak's conversation in 1204-1210 all in advance and then separated it into individual pages (adding the necessary punchlines at the end of each strip) ar did you just had a rough idea of where the conversation had to be at the end of each strip and wrote that strip accordingly once the previous one was done? And do you proceed differently for conversations and battles?" (Both.)	6	0	Include	In Favor: Fyraltari, ByzantiumBhuka, Schroeswald, Metastachydium, Darth V, Gwynfrid Against:
12	"By contrast, you don’t really engage with your fans on social media very much. Do you think that helps or hurts your comic, and what led you to make that decision?" (Not that social.)	2	3	Vote-able	In Favor: ByzantiumBhuka, Schroeswald Against: Metastachydium, Darth V, Gwynfrid
13	"How much of a challenge is it at this point to incorporate DnD rules into the story? I know you've said before that you don't have specific stats for characters (and don't sweat the details about every rule as written for given spells). But a comic like like #928 still requires the general knowledge of "contingency" spells. Is that mostly based on memory/continued experience playing the game? Or do you come up with a storyboarding concept for a given comic first, then figure out how to make it work with DnD rules (looking things up as needed)?" (Memory bound by apathy, usually.)	7	0	Include	In Favor: Fyraltari, ByzantiumBhuka, snowblizz, Schroeswald, Metastachydium, Darth V, Gwynfrid Against:
14	"You had much brighter and harsher colors in the older comics, but I like the colors you have now. What made you change the colors you use?" (Colors evolved alongside art style and desire to publish books.)	5	1	Include	In Favor: Fyraltari, ByzantiumBhuka, Schroeswald, Darth V, Gwynfrid Against: Metastachydium

Spoiler: Breakdown by Poster

Show

Poster	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
Fyraltari
ByzantiumBhuka
snowblizz
Schroeswald
Metastachydium
Darth V
b_jonas
Gwynfrid

[Kish]

Include all except 5.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I think overall I'm with the thread consensus on this latest Q&A. I think I'm against including 12 because it's more about the Giant personally and how he feels about interacting with fans of the comic than anything pertaining to the comic itself. The answer to 1 is hilarious, but sadly I don't think it's something that really belongs in the Index. 5 I agree is not something that is allowed in the Index. To be honest I'm not even sure what's being asked or answered in 4. Everything else I am for including and am particularly happy with the answers given in 2, 3, 8, 13, and 14 (I love a good art answer).

[Precure]

Include all except 2, 4, 5, 7 and 12.

[Reboot]

Everything except 1 and 5.