El Goonish Shive VII: The Comic is 20 Years Old, but the Cast is Still 18

[KillianHawkeye]

Something being sudden is a matter of perspective. Something can happen suddenly from the viewpoint of the audience but not be sudden to the person performing the action (like Gandalf arriving with reinforcements to turn the tide at the battle of Helm's Deep).

Anyway, IMO the protagonist of an Isekai story doesn't NEED to be an overpowered badass in the world they find themselves in, even if that is a fairly common trope within the genre. To call it a requirement is being unnecessarily narrow.

[Anonymouswizard]

Moving on to some other things.

Yeah, Rich isn't being as disruptive as he thinks he is. George being half-demon might cause issues, but there's nothing inherently immoral about any of the other characters' skill sets. Sure, many rogue skills lend themselves to theiveru or spying, but they're also suited to being scouts and investigators.

Plus the worst Larissa will do is try to sleep with Rich.

[Fyraltari]

That's kind of the problem with making a cooperative game into a challenge. How much challenge is too much? How do you even measure success?

Plus the worst Larissa will do is try to sleep with Rich.

That's really not something he needs to worry about.

[Anonymouswizard]

That's kind of the problem with making a cooperative game into a challenge. How much challenge is too much? How do you even measure success?

Yeah, especially as Rich and Ellen clearly have different GMing styles (Rich is more rules focused, Ellen is more improvisational.

That's really not something he needs to worry about.

Oh sure, but you know that's exactly how Larry would play a female bard. He's going to be more mature about it than Rich would, but that's not saying much.

[Vahnavoi]

That's kind of the problem with making a cooperative game into a challenge. How much challenge is too much? How do you even measure success?

You measure success by emotional reaction of who you're challenging, you're succeeding as long as their reactions stay in the positive.

It's not rocket science.

[InvisibleBison]

You measure success by emotional reaction of who you're challenging, you're succeeding as long as their reactions stay in the positive.

It's not rocket science.

Could you perhaps explain how exactly this metric could be applied to the current situation? Rich believes that Ellen isn't as good a GM as she thinks she is, and is trying to be challenging to prove that. I don't see why Ellen having a positive emotional reaction would mean that he has succeeded.

[Kish]

Well, sure. He's not actually trying to challenge; he's trying to undermine while maintaining sufficient plausible deniability that George doesn't pound him and Nanase doesn't look at him like he's a humanoid cockroach.

Also, I think objecting to Nanase--who is Japanese-American--using the term "isekai" would be goofy, but complaining about one of Dan's extremely gratuitous explanations using it is worse.

Also, I don't know if Fyraltari knows that Larry is going to have his character hit on Rich's character (or otherwise be sexually promiscuous, should that be what's actually encoded in "that's exactly how Larry would play a female bard"), but I am highly doubtful myself.

[Fyraltari]

Oh sure, but you know that's exactly how Larry would play a female bard. He's going to be more mature about it than Rich would, but that's not saying much.

I really doubt that Larry would have his character hit on characters played by men while Rich is in the room. Also, he's intimidated by Nanase.

In-character flirting is something that can very easily be awkward or come off as creepy if you're not sure everybody at the table is cool with it and Larry's one big story so far was him learning that it's not okay to flirt with strangers during competitions (this being a challenge is sort of like a competition, in that somebody walking out is basically just making Ellen lose immediately) so I doubt he'll do much flirting.

[Rater202]

...So a thought occurred to me.

If Edward is marrying Lavender, and the goal is for her to be a part of the family before the kids leave for college, the actual wedding probably isn't going to be far off.

So uh... By the laws of Awkwardness, the lead-up to the wedding would be the most likely time for Noriko to have an in-person appearance. Almost certainly by coincidence, but... Yeah. Make an awkward and emotional time for everyone even more awkward and emotional.

[Radar]

...So a thought occurred to me.

If Edward is marrying Lavender, and the goal is for her to be a part of the family before the kids leave for college, the actual wedding probably isn't going to be far off.

So uh... By the laws of Awkwardness, the lead-up to the wedding would be the most likely time for Noriko to have an in-person appearance. Almost certainly by coincidence, but... Yeah. Make an awkward and emotional time for everyone even more awkward and emotional.

Lavender is moving in, but I do not think there was a set time for the wedding. The goal was for everyone to have time getting to know each other.

[Anonymouswizard]

Lavender is moving in, but I do not think there was a set time for the wedding. The goal was for everyone to have time getting to know each other.

Yeah, I've known people to be engaged for six weeks, and others for six years.


Also what's going to be more interesting than Noriko showing up is Van showing up.

[Rater202]

Yeah, I've known people to be engaged for six weeks, and others for six years.


Also what's going to be more interesting than Noriko showing up is Van showing up.

Van is like, eight. He's not showing up without a parent or guardian.

Granted, "Mum, the Will of Magic told me that I have an older sister—"
"You don't—"
"Her name is Tedd."
"...What the hell has been going on since I left?"

Would be as good a reason for Noriko to show up as ever.

[Yuki Akuma]

Van is like, eight. He's not showing up without a parent or guardian.

Granted, "Mum, the Will of Magic told me that I have an older sister—"
"You don't—"
"Her name is Tedd."
"...What the hell has been going on since I left?"

Would be as good a reason for Noriko to show up as ever.

Presumably, if Noriko is invited, she'll bring Van. That is how he would show up.

[Rater202]

The current storyline is named Brother.

It's not a multi-arc storyline of Doom... Techncially, but...

Known brothers in the series.

Grace's.

Ellen's.

...Tedd's

Now, the focus on Diane first could mean that Raven has more kids than he know about, but... Oh boy.

I really don't think that this is gonna be about Elliot. And if it was about Grace's brothers I don't think the title would be in the singular.

[Anonymouswizard]

The timeline hasn't moved forward in, what, two years?

And now we're moving backwards.

I look forward to 2028, where we need a multiple month period in the Jurassic to put the story in its proper context.

[Vinyadan]

The current storyline is named Brother.

Personally, I was thinking of Magus. Van also sounds interesting, however. But this starting out with Diane, who is Raven's daughter, it could be about her and Noah. All three would be interesting to me.

[Rater202]

Personally, I was thinking of Magus. Van also sounds interesting, however. But this starting out with Diane, who is Raven's daughter, it could be about her and Noah. All three would be interesting to me.

Oh, crap, I didn't even think about Noah.

...It's not Magus though. Magus presents himself as Ellen's "father" and as I recall she considers him a deadbeat.

[Maat Mons]

What's wrong with one guy being both your father and brother?

[Celestia]

What's wrong with one guy being both your father and brother?

Sweet home Alabama?

[DavidSh]

Sweet home Alabama?

Even with incest, I think it either would require a "half-" or "step-" somewhere in there, or time travel. As in the story of the person who was both his own father and his own mother, courtesy of convoluted time travel and a fully functional sex change.

[Celestia]

Even with incest, I think it either would require a "half-" or "step-" somewhere in there, or time travel. As in the story of the person who was both his own father and his own mother, courtesy of convoluted time travel and a fully functional sex change.

No, this would just require a guy to make a baby with his mom. Then the kid would be his child, making him the dad, and the child of his mom, making him the brother.

[Fyraltari]

No, this would just require a guy to make a baby with his mom. Then the kid would be his child, making him the dad, and the child of his mom, making him the brother.

The children would have the same mother and two different fathers though, making them half-siblings.

[Gez]

Even with incest, I think it either would require a "half-" or "step-" somewhere in there, or time travel. As in the story of the person who was both his own father and his own mother, courtesy of convoluted time travel and a fully functional sex change.

—All You Zombies— by Robert Heinlein.

[Windscion]

I like Noah. More Noah please.

[Lord Raziere]

honestly Nanase's thought bubbles about plot hooks and herding cats are completely 100% accurate. she nailed the experience dead on.

[Pax1138]

The experience of roleplaying does seem spot on, but I think I have a different definition of "off the rails" then Dan. He seems to consider it as "on rails" means being railroaded by the GM to do exactly what he wants, and "off the rails" being players just having the freedom to do whatever. While do I agree with the first part, to me, "off the rails" means the game has jumped the track and oh god it's gone off the side of the mountain and tumbling oh god its on fire oh the humanity!

Maybe that's just me and my games.

[KillianHawkeye]

the game has jumped the track and oh god it's gone off the side of the mountain and tumbling oh god its on fire oh the humanity!

Sounds like a typical game day to me!

[Anonymouswizard]

The experience of roleplaying does seem spot on, but I think I have a different definition of "off the rails" then Dan. He seems to consider it as "on rails" means being railroaded by the GM to do exactly what he wants, and "off the rails" being players just having the freedom to do whatever. While do I agree with the first part, to me, "off the rails" means the game has jumped the track and oh god it's gone off the side of the mountain and tumbling oh god its on fire oh the humanity!

Maybe that's just me and my games.

Look, I remember the days where having an adventure was considered railroading*, and most self insert OCs were half-vampyre half-japanesd catgirls with yellow eyes, purple hair, and at least one katana. I don't think it's unreasonable for Dan's idea of 'off the rails' to come from that time.

But yes, if nothing's on fire the players are being unusually cooperative (or I've specifically not given them flamethrowers, which is more likely). I personally like my characters to pack a high-output energy weapon and a hand dynamo in case I really need to upset a plot.

* Almost exclusively in jest.

[Windscion]

Yay! More Noah.
Like a good brother, he wants to protect his sister.
(I imagine Noah knows that Diane is Raven's daughter. I assume Diane has no clue about Noah whatsoever.)

[KillianHawkeye]

I imagine Noah knows that Diane is Raven's daughter.

Do you think so? Not much time has passed, and I imagine Raven is struggling to find the right way to deal with it as much as Diane is right now. Especially while also dealing with his feelings towards Pandora.

Telling Noah might not be his top priority yet, is all I'm saying.