OOTS #1252 - The Discussion Thread

[Kantaki]

That is a clever door.

Also, Sunny remains best eyeball-thingy.
Silly Serini, if don't want your kid/minion to trust don't teach them to trust.
On the other hand Ian tried that and look how Haley turned out.

[Ivrytwr]

Saturday update!! Woot
Elan being effective!!! Woot-woot
For the love of muffins!!! Hahaha!!
Thanks Giant!

[Jay R]

"Do as I imply, not as I say or do!"

My new motto.

[KorvinStarmast]

For the love of muffins!

That's one of the few bright spots in this strip. Likewise the ballon-headed (possibly a reference to the art style?) cloud-scrapers.
I like the beholder/wall entry exit trick. (Using D&D conventions/rules cleverly like that is appreciated by this long time DM).

[hungrycrow]

Kudos to Elan for remembering the little guy!

[RatElemental]

I figured Elan would get Sunny on board by healing him, didn't even think of Franklin who I wasn't expecting to have taken any damage from the fall.

Still looks like he did heal Sunny though, so I guess I'll count that as a half right guess.

[Fyraltari]

...if this were an actual Campaign, I'd kinda expect Elan's player to be this sorta super-competent min-max-er who decided to play the Comic Relief for the fun of it this time.

Because dude is hilariously competent now and it just kinda rules. Like, I'm honestly wondering if him offering to heal Franklin after already getting permission to heal his own friends was some kind of Machiavellian scheme, when it's still so incredibly in-character for him.

So, basically Carrot Ironfoundersson?

[X-tra]

Hehehe, I've been lurking for a long time now (still relatively short compared to other members here). However, I had to sign up to point up just a small mistake. Sereni's speech bubble in the second panel is white, not green. I believe this is incorrect?

[Peelee]

Still loving Serini's old-timey talk. Also, so happy THAT Roy and Durkon are here now, maybe they can finally get communication going through her head.

Hehehe, I've been lurking for a long time now (still relatively short compared to other members here). However, I had to sign up to point up just a small mistake. Sereni's speech bubble in the second panel is white, not green. I believe this is incorrect?

Ayep.

[hamishspence]

It might be, but as demonstrated by Malack in the Empire of Blood arc, characters are capable of changing their speech bubbles. In this case, Serini might have momentarily switched back to "halfling voice" instead of "troll voice".

[mucat]

So, basically Carrot Ironfoundersson?

"Someone has to be very complex indeed to be as simple as Carrot."
- Angua von Überwald, reflecting to herself

[hungrycrow]

...if this were an actual Campaign, I'd kinda expect Elan's player to be this sorta super-competent min-max-er who decided to play the Comic Relief for the fun of it this time.

Because dude is hilariously competent now and it just kinda rules. Like, I'm honestly wondering if him offering to heal Franklin after already getting permission to heal his own friends was some kind of Machiavellian scheme, when it's still so incredibly in-character for him.

But yeah, yay seeing the combat section definitely over now, time for talky bits!

I see Elan as a newbie that started seriously paying attention to little details in the story. It doesn't take much experience for that to pay off.

Also excited for some talky bits now that Roy is here!

[KorvinStarmast]

At some point, do we get the reveal from Serini as regards the details of Kraagor's death and why that created such a horrific rift among the Scribblers? This might be a good time (in the next few strips as they discuss stuff with Serini) for that to become more clear.

[danielxcutter]

At some point, do we get the reveal from Serini as regards the details of Kraagor's death and why that created such a horrific rift among the Scribblers?

I mean given that she's tied up, the entire Order is here, and her strongest known ally is unwilling to fight I'd give it a comic or two at most until that.

[Silent Wrangler]

Sereni isn't really the "son of" anyone/

She could in theory be a "sister of", though...

[Peelee]

It might be, but as demonstrated by Malack in the Empire of Blood arc, characters are capable of changing their speech bubbles. In this case, Serini might have momentarily switched back to "halfling voice" instead of "troll voice".

Yeah, but he had reasons (wanting to blend in) and rationale (only when vamping out) for that. Neither case really exists in this one panel.

I mean given that she's tied up, the entire Order is here, and her strongest known ally is unwilling to fight I'd give it a comic or two at most until that.

... Really? After all that you think she's just going to straight up two then everything with barely any discussion? I give it incredibly low odds of happening in the next strip.Maybe two, at the extreme low end.

[smuchmuch]

Aaw, I was hopin Elan convincing Sunny would be something that happn on screena nd maybe a way t show some charcter deeloppement. But this is fine too. (As long as we move on and w get eri to shut up a bit.)

[DaOldeWolf]

This is great. Elan taking care of the other half of the encounter is quite impressive, especially for Elan.

[danielxcutter]

... Really? After all that you think she's just going to straight up two then everything with barely any discussion? I give it incredibly low odds of happening in the next strip.Maybe two, at the extreme low end.

Well, I don't expect her to delay for the next three IRL years. I don't really expect her to spill all of it immediately but if the next ten comics are basically just Serini being LA LA LA then I don't think anyone could be happy about that.

[Fyraltari]

Clearly the info-dump will be dealyed by the sudden, surprising (and yet inevitable) return of Trigak! Yes, that's the only thing that makes sense.

[BriarHobbit]

This is a pleasant surprise. Elan remembering to heal Franklin was a nice touch. I admit that I was also hoping to see Elan speak with Sunny.

[Peelee]

Well, I don't expect her to delay for the next three IRL years.

Holy false dichotomy, Batman!

I'm saying more likely 3-5 strips. Maybe as much as 10, but I sincerely doubt that

[Shining Wrath]

Serini's whole bit is extreme pragmatism - do whatever is required to keep the last Gate intact.
Tied up, surrounded, with no where to flee, and the paladins about to be set free and provide both information and muscle to the Order - her only weapon is information at this point. She will dispense it grudgingly and manipulatively, but unless she wants to spend the rest of her life in those shackles (and since she expects the Order to die, that means dying of starvation fairly soon), she's going to talk.

Now, Serini's Bluff skill against the combined Insight skill of the party is not a good bet. I'm sure an epic rogue has epic Bluff, but Haley, the clerics, and the paladins likely have good insight, and they can all "roll". "You can fool all of the people some of the time..." - well, she'd better not count on all of them for an extended period.

[danielxcutter]

Holy false dichotomy, Batman!

I'm saying more likely 3-5 strips. Maybe as much as 10, but I sincerely doubt that

Oh come on, you know that was hyperbole.

[Peelee]

Oh come on, you know that was hyperbole.

I fail to see how extremely overblown hyperbole is much different.

[AstralFire]

My guess: Serini will help them now because she's out of options (or at least pretend to help them) and she won't realize they have what the Scribblers lacked until much later, possibly tragically.

[hungrycrow]

Serini still seems to think her knowledge is a bargaining chip worth the entire Order surrendering, so I'm guessing she doesn't jump straight to her life story. I can see her letting some important information slip in between insults though.

Next step is probably her and Roy arguing over the destruction of the other Gates.

[danielxcutter]

Serini still seems to think her knowledge is a bargaining chip worth the entire Order surrendering, so I'm guessing she doesn't jump straight to her life story. I can see her letting some important information slip in between insults though.

Next step is probably her and Roy arguing over the destruction of the other Gates.

There is no way a remotely informed Serini can blame them for Lirian's Gate whatsoever in good faith, so there's that.

[Peelee]

Serini still seems to think her knowledge is a bargaining chip worth the entire Order surrendering, so I'm guessing she doesn't jump straight to her life story. I can see her letting some important information slip in between insults though.

Next step is probably her and Roy arguing over the destruction of the other Gates.

I don't know if Roy would argue, really. They don't need to justify actions with the other Gates. They need to justify actions with this one. I think that's the route Roy will take.

[Austin's Dad]

I may have missed this detail: Does the color de-saturate in panel 4 and subsequently because of the effect of The-Thing-With-The-Eyes' view? At first I thought that Haley was caught in an illusion.